An 11-year-old North Carolina boy defended his home from intruders Friday when he struck one with a machete.
After burglars broke into his Mebane, NC, home and forced him into the closet using a pellet gun, the young boy escaped, grabbed a machete and plunged it into his captor’s head, CNN reports.
The man then kicked the boy in the stomach and the side of the head before fleeing the scene. Deputies called the boy a “star baseball player” in a WRAL report.
A total of three intruders participated in the break-in while the boy was home alone. One knocked on the boy’s door, another climbed through the window and one waited outside by their vehicle. (RELATED: MS13 Gang Members Allegedly Kill Maryland Teen With Machete And Baseball Bat)
The man attempted to steal some electronics, but the bleeding from his head sent him running from the home with his partners-in-crime.
The Sheriff’s Office says responding deputies identified a suspect in the crime as 19-year-old Jataveon Dashawn Hall after he checked into a local hospital with injuries to his head.
“This is very tough kid who kept his wits about him,” Sheriff Charles Blackwood said, according to WRAL.
Hall faces a slew of charges when he is discharged from the hospital including breaking and entering, second degree kidnapping and assault on a child younger than 12, CNN reports.
“Not only did this youngster thwart the larceny attempt, he created blood evidence that very well may lead to a conviction in this case,” Blackwood said in a statement.
Hall escaped police custody at the hospital, CNN reports.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office says Hall simply “walked out” of the hospital in his gown holding a glass of water. The hospital released a statement to CNN detailing that an officer was not placed on guard in Hall’s hospital room.
“This patient was admitted to the ED, but was in the legal custody of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department which did not place an officer with him,” the hospital said.
Both county law enforcement and U.S. marshals are looking for Hall.
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