Break-In Suspects Nabbed Because Victim Dialed 911
An 79-year-old woman foiled a robbery at her home Saturday morning by calling 911 then leaving the phone off the hook until officers arrived and arrested two men, police said.
Lt. Earl Porter said the woman dialed the emergency number as the thieves were breaking into her house in the 1500 block of South Broadway about 11:40 a.m. He said the woman left her phone off the hook so police could hear what was going on.
One man was captured as he tried to flee on foot, and the other, who had taken the woman’s car keys, was caught as he tried to escape in her car, Porter said.
The robbers had brandished “a replica of an automatic pistol,” Porter said. The arrested men, booked at Orange County Jail on suspicion of armed robbery, were identified as Gustavo N. Guillen, 25, and Roman A. Ramirez, 21, both of Santa Ana.
Porter said the quick-thinking woman was not hurt.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
