It is one thing to steal a car. Another to break in and threaten someone. Escalating that much is a lot more dangerous. Firstly, now you might know what they lo

It is one thing to steal a car. Another to break in and threaten someone. Escalating that much is a lot more dangerous. Firstly, now you might know what they look like, or at least partially. But you can also bet that the police will put more time into finding thieves that threaten people in their homes over simple car thieves. Which is definitely not what they want. If you find a burglar in your home, the burglar is generally more likely to flee as quickly as possible, than pull a gun on you. Escalating to (the threat of) violence will likely make it harder for them, not easier.