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A Miami Beach boy is being hailed a hero after calling 911 while intruders were ransacking his house.
The boy was home alone, hiding in a closet – and at one point one intruder was in the same closet looking for valuables, according to the boy's mother.
But the intruder never noticed the 11-year-old boy, who was hunkered down, hiding behind the closet door.
The home invasion occurred Friday morning at his house at 32nd Street and Chase Avenue in Miami Beach.
The suspects shattered the glass on the front door. The boy heard the commotion, grabbed a phone and headed for the closet.
“Hi, yes I am in Miami Beach, Florida and someone is trying to break into my house, please hurry,” he told a 911 operator.
The operator asked if he was there.
“Yes I am home, I am home alone, please hurry,” he responded.
After calling 911, the boy phoned his mom, who was out exercising at the time. She called 911 while racing home.
“Yes please, can you dispatch the police to my house? I had a break-in and my son’s in there!” she told an operator. The operator told her that police were already on the scene, and that her son had called already.
Officers arrived in enough time to arrest three suspects. Lance Riley, 20, Willie Cuyler, 20, and Terrance Young, 21, all face a charge of burglary, with Young also facing charges of third-degree grand theft and resisting an officer without violence, online Miami-Dade Corrections records said.
Young was being held on $18,500 bond, and Cuyler and Riley were each being held on $7,500 bond Friday night, the records said. It was not immediately known if the three men had attorneys.
Police said they are looking for a fourth suspect.
For his heroics, the boy earned a Miami Beach Police Department hat and pin delivered by the city’s police chief.
The 11-year-old was too shaken to be interviewed.
"He's okay, he's just in there trying to do things to get his mind off of it," said his mother, who did not want to be identified.
"I'm so thankful he's alive and he wasn't harmed," she added.
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What a very clear headed thinking young man!He had the presence of mind to do exactly what needed to be done, to protect himself and get the help needed to prevent the criminals from having the chance to do any possible harm to him.Despite how terrified he must have been. Then to also notify his mother, instead of just panicking. I hope these three low lives will spend a great amount of time locked up, kept away from any chance to victimize other citizens. Kudos young man, for the quick thinking that helped capture three dangerous thugs and making your neighbors homes safer! This just shows once more, never underestimate what a child can do in a crisis.
Windbag Song--it's not necessary to re-write the entire story.
What Windancersong wrote was way better than the actual report Annie and the name is Windancersong, not Windbag Song.
Too bad the kid didn't have a gun and know how to shoot. He could have put 3 thugs where they belong....6 feet under.
America's too soft on crime. No telling what they would have done to the boy had they found him. Probably a slow, painful death to their sick pleasure. I'm happy he's safe, but it would have been nice if he could have eliminted this scum.
This happened 3 days ago, must be a slow news day.
Annie-322924 As usual making asinine comments.
You, sir, are an idiot. Now assume they also have guns. After he shoots at the first one what do you expect their response will be? You would risk a 11 year old childs life against 3 possible armed felons? Fortunately the child was smarter than you.
@Annie- put your claws away honey.
I expect that will be the most stupid thing I read today.
Rick unless you get off the internet right after posting, sadly I think you'll be wrong.
Bond was set way too low. Also, I taught my children how to load and shoot my guns, while respecting their power to kill. They were taught to lock the bedroom door and if the door was being kicked, to start shooting through the door. Since it was on the end of a hallway, no one in the hallway was safe from bullets or door fragments. You see, sheriff's reponse time in my area was approaching 20 minutes.
Openminded...what if they had guns (story didn't mention it) but what if and they found the kid in the closet? or they just found the kid in the closet and didn't want a witness? who knows the demeanor of criminals in the act of the crime... I would rather be an armed kid than an defenseless one when they found me...
there are many different outcomes to this with slight variables... luckly it worked out fine other than the 3 will be out of jail or prison in a couple of years or less...
also since I'm here.... (different story) that grandma that kicked out those kids from a sleepover, got charged with something like child endangerment....so why can't these robbers...they endangered that kid unknowingly
My 12 yr old knows exactly how to use a gun and protect herself. I taught her when she was 8, just like my father taught me. Any intruder in my home will not leave under his/her own power.
This is a story where the police did respond in time and thankfully nobody was hurt. That cannot be said for most of the 911 calls.
I can't see how this could end well. He's already killed someone in the State of Alabama, where the death penalty is pretty much the sentence he can expect. What has he got to lose by harming the child or taking his own life? Do the authorities seriously expect him to decide to walk out of there like a lamb?
You are commenting on the wrong story. Just so you know...
Put the pipe down!
Meanwhile, back on planet earth.....................
If these criminals were gelded upon conviction not only would they not reproduce, their homies wouldn't be so quick to try it.
Resisting an officer without violence? How can someone even be charged with something like that?
How do you resist get arrested without using violence? Can someone elaborate on that for me?
Perhaps laying on the ground with his hands underneath him? In a closet holding the door closed? Up on the roof and refusing to come down? All of these examples show resistance without violence. In other words, he resisted and was not combative and did not strike the officer.
Running, when ordered to stop! (In my job, I know.)
I agree it's stupid. But they have so many stupid laws it's sick. And publicspeech, that's called fleeing from police.
11 year old's can stay home alone in Florida?
In most states they can. My kid was no where near responsible at 11 to be home alone.
I think it depends on the child. By the sound of it, he was mature enough to be home alone.
kids got balls.... way to go dude....
Good job, kiddo, and good work with the timing, MBPD! Glad they got the bad guys before they could escape or even worse, harm the kid. All kids should be taught to hide in case of a break-in, and calmly call 911 for help while staying hidden.
How often do we get to catch the bad guys? From what I understand about Fla.
it is infested with criminals from all over the world. Go to get fast food and
do not speak English. Our government is responsible for this splitting at the
seams of our once great nation. Allow aliens to move in next door and then
watch your neighborhood go on the great slide down hill quickly. Send their
arses back to where they came from already. These thugs need to be severely
punished for what they did, instead out in 2 years served. It’s the Courts that
are responsible for failing us. These thugs need to serve at least 20.
Good job kid. nuff said. 2 many nut jobs reply to these threads its just a waste of time.
The two strikes law is needed to keep the dangerous criminals off the streets. The first strike is a minimum of 10 years and the second strike is life sentence without parole. GA passed this law to protect its citizens.
the way society is today, our country needs to build more prisons and go back to the old ways of no comfort in prison!
Can't we just ship these criminals to Australia? That's what the Britts used to do.
Oh wait; the Australians no longer allow uncontrolled immigration to their country.
You must be kidding. These 3 home invaders got bonds of less than $20,000 for breaking into a home with a child in it? The judge who set those bonds should be executed.
Why do they even release criminals on bond, who are caught red handed inside a house robbing it, before they go to trail? In this case there is no question about guilt!
He was a brave kid, quick thinking. But I doubt his Mother was out exercising, by what she is holding in her ran it looks like she made a quick "run" to the store to buy cigarettes. As for the dispatcher, how rude, her tone of voice to the Mother was uncalled for and showed no compassion for what she may have been feeling after leaving he son alone...to buy cigarettes?
Way too young to be left alone!
11 years old n left home alone. really?
I did not see anything in the story that the mother was buying cigarettes. I say to this young man "way to go" you have a good head on your shoulders.
In the state of North Carolina, a child can not be left alone until 12 years of age. This is per the DSS here.
Never thought my junked up closet could save my life :^)