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January 17, 2008 - 10:00AM
Mesa boy foils burglar with bat
Katie McDevitt, Tribune
Michael Six spent three years slugging baseballs in little league, but the 14-year-old Mesa boy never thought he’d someday use his bat to slug a burglar.
“I feel kind of good...feel like a hero or something,” Michael said Wednesday.
Download 911 call (MP3 - 3.66MB)
The quick-witted Kino Junior High School 9th grader stopped a thief from getting away with his family’s valuables and helped police nab a possible serial burglar Tuesday by calling 911 and protecting himself.
“My house is being robbed,” Michael said quietly and calmly to a dispatcher about 8:30 a.m. while hiding in his closet. “Somebody just broke into my house.”
The teen stayed on the line with a dispatcher and listened as the intruder ransacked his parents’ jewelry box.
But suddenly, the burglar broke into the boy’s room. Michael fought back.
“He was hunched over and I finally just came through with the bat and hit him in the back...once in the lower back and once in the shoulder,” Michael said.
The intruder yelled, snatched the bat from the boy’s hands, threatened him, and then ran away.
Police officers swarmed in on the burglar as he ran out of the home in the 1000 Block of E. 7th Place.
In a neighbor’s yard, officers arrested Thomas Gonzales Garza, 30, of Chandler on suspicion of residential burglary, aggravated assault on a minor, criminal trespassing and criminal damage.
Police believe Gonzales may be connected to other burglaries in Mesa. He is currently being held without bond in Maricopa County Jail.
“(Michael) is commended for remaining calm, contacting the police and protecting himself from possible harm,” said Mesa detective Chris Arvayo in a statement.
Michael’s dad Randy Six said the family bought a dog today to help protect them in the future.
“I was just relieved (Michael) was OK,” Six said. “That guy could’ve done something to him if he wanted.”
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