Prowler kicks in back door of house in middle of night. But homeowner has a gun — and puts an end to the break-in.

Police said a homeowner in Santa Clara, California, was awakened just before 2 a.m. Sunday by a man sneaking around in his backyard and also pounding on doors and windows, KTVU-TV reported.

Police said the suspect broke a window and then "forcibly kicked open a rear door," the station said.

What happened next?

Thing is, though, the homeowner had prepared for just such an incident by exercising his Second Amendment rights.

And after the suspect kicked open the back door of the residence, the 51-year-old homeowner fired his gun "multiple" times and shot him, police told KTVU.

What happened to the suspect?

Police said the suspect, 26-year-old Spencer Olson of Los Gatos, was taken to a hospital and then arrested on burglary charges, the station said.

Police told KTVU the homeowner has been cooperative.

Similar recent incident

Earlier this month police said a husband and wife in their 60s were having breakfast when they heard a knock at the door of their home in Fairfield — about an hour and 20 minutes north of Santa Clara — followed by an attempt to kick down the door after they didn't respond to the knock.

The husband, fearing for his life and his wife's safety, grabbed his legally owned gun to defend them, police said.

The intruder then broke down the door completely and entered the residence, police said — after which the husband fired at the intruder, who fled from the home. KTVU-TV reported that police located the intruder collapsed across the street. Police said they detained him and found him in possession of "a loaded semiautomatic handgun with an extended magazine."

Officers began lifesaving measures until emergency services arrived, but the individual was pronounced dead shortly after 9 a.m., police said.

Authorities said the intruder was a 27-year-old male from nearby Suisun City who was on parole for a violent crime in Alameda County. KTVU reported that the crime for which he was on parole was a home invasion.

"Whatever the motive was, it does not look like it was peaceful or legal," Fairfield Police Lt. Jausiah Jacobsen told the station. "We know the suspect was armed with a handgun, semi-automatic with magazines. As far as I know, there was no known relationship between the homeowner[s], who are the victims here, and the suspect."