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ELKO — A man who had two ATVs stolen from his property fired shots above a fleeing suspect, according to the sheriff’s office.

Undersheriff Clair Morris said a Jennings Way resident woke to the sound of his dog barking at about 3:15 a.m. Sunday and about 20 minutes later heard what sounded like a four-wheeler driving away from his shop.

The man grabbed a .22-caliber rifle and went outside where he caught a young man walking toward his front door, according to the undersheriff.

The homeowner yelled for the suspicious person to get on the ground, Morris said, and then yelled for his wife to call police.

The suspect initially lay on the ground. He decided to flee when the authorities were being called, however, which prompted the man to fire three gunshots.

Morris said the shots — meant to scare off the burglars — were fired well above the young man’s head. Two accomplices drove away on four-wheelers that belonged to the homeowner.

The two ATVs were found later, one on north Fifth Street and one by the golf course.

“They were not damaged, just abandoned,” Morris said.