Jimmy Tran looks at his damaged back door and recalls a harrowing afternoon.
He recalled, "I was scared, natural, this never happened before."
The 17-year-old was home with his younger brother and sister when they realized someone was trying to break in. Thinking quickly, the three ran into a closet and called 911, while the suspect, Richard Spiller, allegedly rummaged through the house.
Jimmy recalled what he heard while hiding, "He was knocking stuff down, breaking glass, running through the house."
When we spoke to Spiller as he sat in the back of a patrol car, the 20-year-old denied trying to break in. We asked why he was arrested.
"I don't know. I'm trying to figure that out," he responded.
Houston police officers arrived within a minute, while Spiller was reportedly still inside. They were quickly able to arrest the suspect.
"(The teens) acted really well," said Houston Police Sgt. KJ Johnson. "They provided very important information. They communicated with the officer on the scene via the cell phone. Because of their actions, we were able to apprehend the suspect."
It turns out Spiller, who already has a burglary conviction on his record, lives next door. The Trans suspect he broke in thinking the family was away making funeral arrangements for their grandmother, who passed away Monday night.
"It's awful," Jimmy said. "Why would he break in to our house? I would never do that."
Tran family members are making funeral arrangements, as well as trying to clean up the mess left behind by the alleged burglar. They are thankful, though, that no one was hurt.
