Call me soft on crime if you want, but I’d set this cat free as a summer breeze…

A Baton Rouge man who caught an alleged burglar in his home Friday night is under arrest after, police say, the homeowner chased the intruder from the house and fatally shot him in the driveway.

Richard Alexander, 28, was inside his home at 1721 N. 26th St. about 10:30 p.m. when Keith Brown kicked down the door and went inside, said Cpl. L’Jean McKneely, a Baton Rouge Police Department spokesman.

Alexander, armed with a gun, confronted Brown, 23, and chased him through the house, out of the back door and down the driveway, McKneely said.

Alexander told police he then saw Brown pull at the waistline of his pants, and Alexander began shooting, McKneely said.

Brown, 2786 Cedar St., was shot multiple times, according to a police release. Alexander called police and told them what had just happened, the release says.

Police arrived to find Brown lying in the driveway, and he later died at a hospital, the release says.

Alexander was arrested and booked into Parish Prison on one count of manslaughter.

McKneely said investigators deemed Alexander’s actions criminal because Brown was no longer a threat once he ran from the home.

“As soon as Alexander ran Brown out of the house, he should have disengaged and called police,” McKneely said.

The intruder was still in his driveway, after committing a crime. The cops say he wasn’t a threat – but my guess is if this guy Brown had made the mistake of trying to burgle a cop’s house he would have never made it to the driveway.

Can’t believe he’s being charged. Just can’t believe it. Give the dude a medal, not a defense attorney.

By the by, 2786 Cedar St. is just off Chippewa in North Baton Rouge. It’s a pretty lousy neighborhood – BRPD crime stats for that area indicate that while they managed to get through 2010 without a murder or rape, there were eight robberies, 21 aggravated assaults, 25 burglaries, 53 larcenies, five stolen cars and three arsons. If you live in that hood, you’d better pack a rod and you can certainly be excused for using it to protect your property.

At least that’s how we nutria see it down in Barataria. Steven Seagal, our favorite cop, wouldn’t charge this cat. Neither would we.