Shocking daylight home invasion during virus lockdown is stopped by Chicago homeowner who fatally shoots one of the masked intruders inside and then chases the other to his front yard

A homeowner stopped an attempted break-in during coronavirus lockdown by fatally shooting one of the two intruders and beating the other.  

Doorbell footage released by Illinois police shows Bradley Finnan, 38, and Larry Brodacz, 58, approaching a home in Arlington Heights in Chicago at around 1:55pm on Saturday afternoon, wearing masks, gloves, baseball caps and black jackets. 

The pair allegedly said they were police officers, with video footage showing one intruder saying 'Hey, how you doing boss?' before they both barge inside the house which was occupied by Sebastian Maniscalco, 50, his wife, 48, and their two children aged 11 and 14 on April 4.   

At this point distressing screams can be heard from within, with a female voice yelling 'Hey!' repeatedly. Maniscalco's wife allegedly told police she saw the men with guns in her foyer before Brodacz chased her upstairs, the Chicago Tribune reported. 

The wife hid in her children's bedroom but Brodacz allegedly smashed through the door, snatching the couple's son and daughter before pinning them on a bed and pointing his gun at them.    

When the children's mother begged him not to shoot, Brodacz pulled his gun on her and pushed her to the floor, authorities said.  

It is believed that the struggle between Maniscalco and Finnan outside of the front of the home that was caught on doorbell footage took place while Brodacz was terrorising the rest of the family within. 

Ring doorbell footage shows a barefoot Maniscalco, dressed in a red t-shirt and shorts, shoving Finnan out the door.  He pins him to the ground and punches him repeatedly, landing a series of blows. 

Maniscalco can be heard shouting for help towards landscapers across the street. Finnan escapes the homeowners' grip, and trips into the street and makes off in Brodacz's Lexus as the homeowner races back inside.

Brodacz left the room with the mother and children only when he heard the Maniscalco shouting his wife's name from inside the house home.  Maniscalco had found his wife's gun in the master bedroom, where a struggle ensued with Brodacz, the Chicago Tribune said.  

Maniscalco told police he fired his wife's gun but it missed Brodacz. At some point during the struggle he said Brodacz pulled a knife from his waistband and began to approach him. 

At this point Maniscalco fired his wife's gun again, shooting Brodacz in the abdomen as he advanced towards him. Brodacz was pronounced dead at the scene by police, who had been called by the couple's 14-year-old child. Authorities said Brodacz had been killed in self defence, according to the Daily Herald.  

Maniscalco posted a lengthy statement on Facebook on April 8 where he described his family's terrifying ordeal at experiencing 'the incredible evil in the world'. 

He said: 'This is an open case therefore I will limit any description of the horror, terror and fear my family had to endure that day and all that continues.

'There are no words to be found to appropriately define the ongoing aftermath of this event for our family. We are doing our best and praying each following day will bring better than the last.'

Maniscalco heaped praise on the emergency services, adding that: 'It is so incredibly important we acknowledge and thank all of the Arlington Heights law enforcement, Detectives, Special teams, SWAT, Paramedics, Fire department, Forensics and at the front of this case, the lead detective and her unwavering, above and beyond non stop effort to bring justice to our family.'

He expressed a heartfelt thanks to the Arlington Heights community and the 'Unbelievable numbers opening their homes to us for a place to stay during this already unprecedented quarantine time. Offering to get us groceries, prepare meals for our family, get or buy us clothing. Offering to do anything and everything that would HELP'. 

Maniscalco added:  'We may have experienced the incredible evil in the world but because of all of you, you made sure we can still see there is Good.'

The Cook County state’s attorney’s office court records say that Brodacz and Finnan’s scheme was deliberately hatched to coincide with the state’s stay-at-home order amid the coronavirus pandemic, The Chicago Tribune reported.

Arlington Heights Police arrived shortly after Finnan fled and found Maniscalco's wife in front of the family home screaming that her husband was inside and fighting someone with a gun. The Daily Herald reported that police met the Maniscalco as he walked down from the second storey. He was bleeding from a head wound allegedly inflicted by Bodacz and carrying a gun, and told officers he had shot the offender.

Officers discovered two 9mm cartridge cases, a knife, a .25 caliber semi-automatic handgun loaded with seven, .25 caliber rounds, and the wife’s 9mm handgun in the master bedroom. 

The usually quiet neighborhood was soon swarming with law enforcement, including a SWAT team, and officers with the Northern Illinois Police Alarm System and the Major Case Assistance Team. 

Finnan from Chattanooga, Tennessee, was discovered by police early Sunday morning at his mother's home after Buffalo Grove police received a missing person report that matched his identity. 

After interviewing one of his family members police identified Brodacz from his driver's licence. Finnan allegedly told police he knew Brodacz through a previous job at a car dealership. 

He told investigators that Brodacz claimed to have $200,000 in boxes at the home 20 years ago and believed it was still there, according to The Daily Herald. He said he knew Brodacz from a car dealership where they had both worked. 

On Tuesday Finnan was charged with felony murder and home invasion after allegedly being one of the two armed men. He is being held in Cook County Jail without bail following a bond hearing. 

He was give a murder charge under an Illinois statute that allows defendants to be charged with murder if they take part in a felony offence that leads to another person's death, even if the defendant was not directly involved in the killing. 

Finnan could face a life sentence if convicted and will next appear in court on April 21.