Homeowner shoots backyard trespasser allegedly after he wouldn't show his hands. Cops say the stranger was on the run.

A Miami homeowner shot a backyard trespasser over the weekend allegedly after he wouldn't show the homeowner his hands — and police said the stranger was on the run.

Authorities said the shooting took place shortly after 34-year-old Whitney Liberal was involved in a rollover crash on Interstate 75 near Northwest 186th Street, WPLG-TV reported.

'It’s the first time in 30 years, and thankfully it wasn’t robbing — it was him escaping from something he did before.'

Miami-Dade police told the station that Liberal and two others fled the crash scene, and Liberal ran behind a barrier wall along the interstate, jumped a fence, and entered the back yard of a home in the 18000 block of Northwest 91st Court.

WTVJ-TV reported that arrest documents indicate the homeowner heard his dog barking, looked out his window, and saw his ladder had been moved to lean against a tall wall in his backyard that butts against I-75.

Police told WPLG the homeowner was armed with a gun while confronting Liberal around 6 a.m. and fired two shots after Liberal allegedly failed to show his hands. Investigators told the station one bullet struck Liberal in the leg.

“My neighbor was on the balcony with a gun and a lantern,” neighbor Alfonso Nieto told WPLG.

The homeowner spoke to WTVJ about the incident but did not show his face: “It’s the first time in 30 years, and thankfully it wasn’t robbing — it was him escaping from something he did before."

The arrest report indicates Liberal told investigators he fled the crash scene and entered the backyard while attempting to call his girlfriend to pick him up, WPLG said, adding that he said he injured his foot in the crash.

Police added to WPLG that they found marijuana and pills that appeared to be ecstasy when conducting a search on Liberal.

Liberal was being treated at a hospital for his injuries and was in the process of being booked into jail Monday afternoon, WPLG said, citing authorities.

Jail records show he's facing three counts of possession of a controlled substance, one count of trespassing on unenclosed curtilage, and one count of possession of cannabis, WPLG said.

“It was shocking because nothing like that ever happens in this community,” neighbor Ofelia Martinez noted to WPLG.

You can view video reports here and here about the incident.

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