A renter at an apartment complex played a big role in putting three men in jail. They're accused of burglarizing his unit.
The break-in happened at the Pine Tree Village Apartments at Herndon and Maple. Police arrested the suspects in a nearby neighborhood.
Just after 5 p.m. Monday, cops surrounded a home on Woodrow near Warner where a burglary suspect snuck inside.
After a few minutes, the man surrendered. Moments before, officers arrested his partners around the corner.
“It was outstanding police work, but we also had the help of the community with the neighbors here. They gave us information that eventually led us to the suspects,” said Sgt. John Romo.
The victim, who did not want to be identified, says an open window caught his attention when he came home.
“I heard stuff going on and my wife usually gets off around this time, so I was assuming it was probably her,” said the victim.
Instead of his wife, he found some guys trying to load up his collection of guns.
“As soon as I opened the door he saw me, so he pushed me,” said the victim.
The burglar pointed one of the victim's guns at him and then ran away. The victim called 911 and gave a good description which enabled officers to quickly track down the would-be thieves.
Police later recovered the pistol, a valuable Colt 45, which was taken.
The victim is glad to have it back, but the violation of his privacy still has him pretty upset.
“It's something you work hard for and for somebody to just come by and take it away from you, it's just wrong,” said the victim.
Police believe the suspects all have ties to a gang. The man who pulled a gun on the victim faces stiffer penalties than the other two men.