MIAMI GARDENS, FLA. (WSVN) - A mother determined to protect her children turned the tables on a would-be intruder who had broken into her Miami Gardens home, last weekend.
The homeowner, who asked not to be identified or show her face on camera, said it was a typical Saturday morning until the criminal, seen wearing a red baseball cap and red jersey, parked in front of the residence. “I have never seen him in my life before. I don’t know who this guy is,” she said.
The perpetrator, who was captured on surveillance video, was not shy about his intentions. He was seen looking around to make sure nobody was watching him as he attempted to enter the home.
Inside the residence, the woman’s children, ages 3 and 10, were sleeping. When she saw the would-be thief, she immediately feared for their safety. ” I was very frightened. I was shaking,” she said.
The subject terrorized her children as he kept slamming into her front door. “All I see is him running toward the door and just keep banging himself toward the door,” she said.
The man, who likely thought no one was home, was able to kick his way inside the family’s living room. But by that time, the homeowner had grabbed her shotgun and was standing with the firearm.
She pointed the firearm at the perpetrator, cocked it and yelled at the would-be thief while her children screamed and cried. Less than four seconds later, the intruder ran for his life with nothing in hand.
Surveillance video shows the man sprinting out of the home. As he gets into a silver Mercedes-Benz that, police said, was stolen, the tip of the shotgun appears in the doorway.
The protective mother never fired her weapon, but her survival instincts certainly kicked in. “I reacted real quick to defend my family because, God forbid, he probably would have grabbed one of my kids or something,” she said. “And I was car-less. By the time the cops got here, he would have been long gone with one of my kids.”
The homeowner also got the Mercedes’ license number. Miami Gardens Police said it was later recovered in Miami-Dade County.
The subject remains at large. If you have any information on his whereabouts, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $1,000 reward.
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