Woman scares away armed burglar

A would-be victim bravely scared away a burglar then broke down in tears. Police arrested the suspect within an hour.

Calexico Police arrested 31-year-old Jesus Cruz after he allegedly forced his way into a home on the 1200 block of CN Perry Street on Tuesday morning. He was armed with a baseball bat. A woman inside the home confronted him.

Officer Manuel Ceja said, “In her sense, I can only imagine having to go through something like that with an individual that was heavily tattooed, that she not recognized, who’s forcing entry into her home, who’s coming right through the front door and was armed with a weapon.”

The woman was terrified but managed to yell at Cruz and scare him away.

“She was very shaken up. She was crying. She was somewhat nervous in regards to what just occurred. We had to reassure her that we were going to try very effectively to apprehend this individual,” Ceja said.

Several witnesses helped police find Cruz who hid in a house several streets away. He resisted arrest.

“As we were surrounding his residence, he was able to run to his home and failed to comply with our directives for him to come out. Some family members who were inside, we believe, convinced him to give himself up to us and he was taken into custody,” Ceja said.

Cruz was out on probation. He has a long criminal history.

“Once we were there in the area, we brought some witnesses over and the victim who positively identified the individual as being the one involved in the home invasion,” Ceja said.

Police recommend for people to leave the home if possible during a home invasion.

“If they have a back door or a back window. Maybe take your cellphone with you to give us a call. If not, lock yourself either in the bathroom or bedroom and stay on the phone with us,” Ceja said.

Cruz was arrested within an hour of the alleged home invasion. He’s being held without bail. If convicted, he could face up to six years in prison.