Thread: Norwalk Boy Calls 911, Saves Family from Gunmen

Norwalk Boy Calls 911, Saves Family from Gunmen

Boy begs the operator to send police quickly, "a lot of them... and bring soldiers too."


LISTEN TO THE CALL


NORWALK---Authorities in Norwalk are looking for three (Hispanic) suspects wanted in a brazen home invasion robbery thwarted by a brave 7-year-old boy.

Three suspects armed with handguns entered the home through an unlocked front door Tuesday morning and said they were there to take what they wanted, according to Norwalk sheriff's deputies.

The boy, who the suspects did not know was in the house, locked himself in a bathroom with his younger sister and called 911 while the suspects threatened his parents at gunpoint.

On the recording, he begs the operator to send police quickly, "a lot of them... And bring soldiers too."

Operator: "Can you tell me what happened?"

Boy: "They rang the door and they have guns to shoot my mom and dad."

Operator: "Right now?"

Boy: "Yes. Can you come really fast? Bring some cops?"

Operator: "I have them coming, hon. Listen, OK? Listen to me. Take a deep breath. How old are you?"

Boy: "Seven years old."

Operator: "Where are you at in the house?"

Boy: "Inside the bathroom."

Operator: "You're in the bathroom? Who's with you?"

Boy: "It's my sister."

Operator: "How old is she?"

Boy: "Six years old. Can you come really fast? Hurry up!"

Operator: "Yes. Stay on the line with me. Don't hang up."

Boy: "OK."

Operator: "Tell me exactly what happened, OK? Just stay where you are and don't hang up, whatever you do."

Boy: "OK. They ring. The guys have a --"

As the boy explained what was happening to the dispatcher, the suspects realized someone was in the bathroom and forced entry.

Screaming is heard on the tape as one of the suspects grabs the boy and takes the phone from him.

The suspect asked the boy who he had called, and when he replied "911," the suspects immediately fled the house without injuring him or his parents and without taking any property.

"If not for the brave and educated actions of the 7-year-old boy, this might have ended tragically," said Capt. Pat Maxwell of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

The suspects fled in a Grey Acura RXS 2-door vehicle.

The first suspect is a Hispanic male between 18 and 21 with a shaved head, about 5'8" and 200 lbs.

He was wearing a baggy blue shirt and dark pants.

The second suspect is a Hispanic male, also between the ages of 18 and 21, about 6'0" and 230 lbs.

He was last wearing a blue short-sleeved shirt over a white t-shirt.

And the third suspect is a Hispanic male, approximately 200 lbs., between 18 and 21 years old. He was wearing dark clothing.

Anyone with information was asked to call Norwalk Station Detectives at (562) 863-8711.

Calif. boy who called 911 thanks dispatcher


By THOMAS WATKINS
Associated Press Writer

updated 46 minutes ago

NORWALK, Calif. - A 7-year-old boy who called 911 from a locked bathroom while armed robbers threatened his parents hugged and high-fived on Wednesday the sheriff's dispatcher who took his call.

The boy, identified only as Carlos, told reporters at a news conference that he remained calm during the ordeal because his mother used to make him practice dialing 911 in case of emergencies.

How did his mother say he did?

"Excellent!" the second grader said.

Carlos, sporting a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Dept. baseball cap, gave a hug to dispatcher Monique Patino, who called the boy "my little hero."

"I said he was very brave and I'm very proud of what he did," Patino said, occasionally dabbing tears from her cheek.

The assailants held the parents at gunpoint Tuesday while the boy and his 6-year-old sister hid in a bathroom. Carlos told Patino breathlessly that there was "some guy who's going to kill my mom and dad" and begged authorities to "bring cops. A lot of them! ... And bring soldiers, too."

About 90 seconds into the call, his sister starts screaming as someone apparently breaks into the bathroom. The line stays connected, and a distraught-sounding Patino can be heard telling colleagues what she'd heard.

"Just hearing them scream and crying for help, I just felt their fear through the phone," said Patino, herself a mother of 7- and 8-year-old children.

Carlos said there were three assailants. They left the home without stealing anything when Carlos told them he'd called 911, authorities said.

"I'm still astounded by his mindset," Los Angeles County Sheriff's Sgt. Douglas Jensen said. "To be able to think about getting his sister, grabbing his phone, locking himself in a bathroom and calling 911. It shows so much."

Detectives were trying to determine the motive for the break-in. Capt. Patrick Maxwell said the 6-year-old girl had left the front door open after running to the family's car to grab her lunch box. The assailants burst in soon after.

"We don't know if it was random, we don't know if it was targeted," Maxwell said.

Carlos' parents declined to appear at the news conference and were "still pretty traumatized" by events, Maxwell said.

In the 911 call, Carlos sounds frightened but keeps his composure and explains what is happening.

"Come really fast, please, please," he said. "They come, they ring the door and they have guns."

At the news conference, Patino said she was emotionally affected by the call, especially not immediately knowing what the outcome was.

"I had to take a walk and shake it off a little bit," she said.

Deputies were on scene within three minutes, but the assailants had escaped in a green or gray two-door compact car, Jensen said.

"When one of the cops cars came, they just ran," Carlos told reporters.

UNANSWERED QUESTIONS

Where are the parents now?

Why are they not talking? Do they even speak English?

This crime looks more like a drug deal gone badly or collection of a bad debt.

This crime happened at 8 in the morning and is not really a good time for a robbery when the home occupants are likely to be home.

Hmmmmm

I wonder what the real story is.

R/

Skip wrote:

This crime looks more like a drug deal gone badly or collection of a bad debt.

This crime happened at 8 in the morning and is not really a good time for a robbery when the home occupants are likely to be home.

Hmmmmm

I wonder what the real story is.

I was thinking the same exact thing when I read this story in the AOL news earlier. You're right, robbery as a motives seems very unlikely.

MEXICO

COMING TO A TOWN OR CITY NEAR YOU.