78-year-old woman fights home intruder and shoves him out the door, FL cops say

A home intruder looking for an easy target made a bad choice when he entered the home of a 78-year-old woman and demanded her car keys, according to Florida investigators.

Not only did she stubbornly refuse, but she fought back, the Lady Lake Police Department said in an Aug. 13 news release.

The incident happened Friday, Aug. 8, when a 53-year-old man forced his way into a home on St. Andrews Boulevard, police said.

“The victim reported that a man had knocked on her door asking for her vehicle keys. Police say he then pushed his way inside, grabbed her purse, and tried to find the keys,” police said. “The victim bravely fought to hold on to her belongings, stating ‘You’re not getting my car keys.’ She was able to push the suspect back outside and call 911.”

Officers found the man “within 20 minutes,” still wandering on the street, police said.

Craig Steven Johnson was arrested and charged “with burglary of an occupied dwelling with battery, robbery by sudden snatching, and battery on a person 65 years or older,” police said. He was listed as homeless, police said.

The woman, who identified Johnson as her assailant, suffered swelling to her hand, but was otherwise uninjured, officials said.

Lady Lake Police Chief Steve Hunt described the incident as an “attack” and called it “frightening and unacceptable.”

Lady Lake is about 55-mile drive northwest from Orlando.

This story was originally published August 14, 2025 at 2:06 PM with the headline "78-year-old woman fights home intruder and shoves him out the door, FL cops say."