Florida mom holds suspected intruder at gunpoint for 26 minutes
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A Florida mother held a suspected intruder at gunpoint for 26 minutes last month while waiting for police to arrive, according to reports.
Lauren Richards, 25, first called 911 just after midnight May 25 and told them someone unfamiliar was outside her Tampa Bay area home, WFLA reported. After calling police, she noticed her garage door, which she usually keeps open, was shut. She opened the door. “He is about 8 feet from me approximately," she told WFLA.
FLORIDA TROOPER HOSPITALIZED IN DRAMATIC TURNPIKE HIT-AND-RUN CAUGHT ON CAMERA
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"I have a gun pointed and I need the police to show up immediately," she told 911 in a second call. "I called 10 minutes ago and nobody has shown up."
She reportedly had to hold the gun on the intruder for another 13 minutes before police arrived just after 1 a.m. Another neighbor assisted Richards in holding the suspected intruder at gunpoint after she called him.
"She's got little kids. We held him at gunpoint until the cops showed up,” he said. "Had she not had a gun and been ready to protect herself or call the neighbors, she might [not] be standing here cause who knows what would happen.”
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The suspect, Devin Cooke, 25, underwent a mental evaluation and is expected to face felony burglary charges. He is reportedly a neighbor. A Pasco County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson said they always try to respond as quickly as possible, according to WFLA.