In a move that would make John Wick blush, a 73-year-old woman used the American flag to defend herself from an attacker.
Lejune Timmerman, a Salt Lake native, found herself in a fight for survival. A man, identified as Justin Smith, hopped the fence at Timmerman’s home and attacked her brothers. Smith then turned his aggression to Timmerman herself.
“He beat them up for no reason. He was beating on me, choked me,” Timmerman said.
To defend herself, Timmerman grabbed the closest item available –an American flag on a pole on the front porch. She fought back against her attacker.
“I grabbed my glory and starting beating the hell back,” Timmerman said. “I whooped his ass and I’ll whoop it again.”
Smith kicked in the front door to Timmerman’s house and hid in a bedroom from the woman. The police arrived a few minutes later and arrested him on charges of aggravated assault, aggravated burglary, and criminal mischief.
Timmerman became worried that she desecrated the American flag.
Timmerman became worried that she might have desecrated her flag by using it as a weapon. She told the responding officers about her concerns.
“I told them, ‘hey, I didn’t mean to disrespect my flag, but he was hurting me and beating me’,” she told KUTV.
The same officers returned on Tuesday morning to present Timmerman with a new American flag. They helped the family mount it on their front porch. Timmerman appeared overjoyed by the police officer’s gesture.
Timmerman and her brother, Paul Hultgren, have lived in the home for more than two decades. Both said crime in the area has increased. Hulgreen blames a recently build homeless shelter that opened less than a block away.
After the attack, the family plans to relocate to a new area in a few months.
“I’m out, it’s too much for me,” Timmerman said.
