Teen suspect turned in when mom sees him on TV

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A suspect was arrested in connection with a southwest Houston burglary after a mother saw video of the crime on TV, recognized her son and called police.

In a case that shows the power of surveillance video, the power of moms who mean business, a teen suspect is facing police for his alleged role in a crime.

Two guys broke into a house on Friday afternoon. They may not have known it, but the owner has multiple security cameras. According to the man who lives there, that boy and his partner got away with thousands of dollars in electronics and even grabbed the change off the countertop.

We aired the surveillance video on ABC13 Eyewitness News, and in no time at all, police knocked on the door of our live truck. The boy's mom watched our newscast, recognized her child and called the cops on her own 14-year-old son. The first thing she said was, "I'm so embarrassed."

Burglary victim Joseff White said, "I'm happy about it, actually. It might seem as if she is selling him out or turning him in or something like that, but she's doing him a service. She's helping him become a better person and a better individual for our society."

The teen's mother wouldn't speak on camera but said, "Just tell all the mothers out there that if their son does this, turn them in. It's a tough lesson and it hurts, but it's for their own good."

Police have now identified the second burglary suspect shown in the video as well.