By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com

A pistol-packing north Fayette woman scared off two intruders from her home Saturday night.

Bonnie J. Johnson of a Fairburn address pointed the gun at one of the intruders, scaring him away, said Maj. Bruce Jordan of the Fayette County Sheriff's Office. The other suspect was left behind and arrested minutes later, Jordan said.

The element of surprise caught the criminals off guard, Jordan said.

“She was better armed than they were,” Jordan said. A hammer found in the middle of the street could have been their only weapon, he added.

The second suspect, who was arrested, originally identified himself as William Collins of New Jersey. Police believe Collins gave a false name, Jordan added. Confirmation of that suspect's identity was unavailable by press time Tuesday.

Johnson was startled awake after 9 p.m. by a loud noise, possibly one of the suspects trying to kick in a door, Jordan said. She retrieved her handgun and confronted one of the suspects, he said.

She aimed her pistol at the front-door intruder, causing him to curse briefly before running away, Jordan said. Johnson went to a neighbor's house to call 911, he added.

No shots were fired and no one was injured during the incident, Jordan said. Collins was taken into custody without difficulty, he added.

The burglars left the residence empty-handed, the investigator said.&127;