Palm Bay woman armed with pool cue scares off suspected burglars

PALM BAY, Fla. — Authorities said a pair of burglary suspects now in custody could be responsible for a half-dozen break-ins in the Palm Bay area.

Police said arrests were made after a woman, armed with a pool cue, screamed and scared off the suspects and they were seen trying to break into a neighboring home.

"When you have children in the house, that's a whole different story," said the woman, who didn't want to be identified.

Police said the burglaries had a number of similarities, which started with the burglars knocking to see if anyone was home.

If someone answered the door, police said, the pair would come up with a quick excuse for being there.

If not, they quickly made their way inside.

The latest victim said she didn't back down when the men tried to get into her Geddes Street home.

"I came up to the peephole and I saw one of them," the victim said. "They banged on the door when I didn't answer the door and the third time, then I saw the other one wandering around. That's when I called the police and called my husband."

The woman also grabbed a pool cue to protect herself and her two youngest children. She was on the phone with 911 when she heard a window shatter.

"They're still going around the house. I mean, I have, I have a cue stick and stuff," she told 911 dispatchers. "I have a cue stick. But I have two small children," she said, before screaming.

The screams were enough to send the would-be burglars running, but police said it wasn't enough to keep them from trying to break into another house in the area.

The men were spotted by a neighbor and arrested by Palm Bay police.

"The suspects in this case are in custody on an unrelated burglary and suspected in four or five additional burglaries in the southeast, southwest area of Palm Bay," said Sgt. John Resh.

Palm Bay police have not yet released the names of the suspects, because there are a number of other charges pending.

WFTV