A mother of four in Florida relied on a firearm to detain an intruder as a police response took way longer than expected.
Hudson mom Lauren Richards says after being alerted by a knock at the door she noticed a strange person and something wrong with her garage door, prompting her to call 911 at around 12:41 a.m.
Richards’ pet pig Milton also began picking up a scent, indicating someone was likely inside the home.
“I tell them somebody just came into my door,” said Richards. “He’s unfamiliar, I don’t recognize him.”
She says as she waited she checked her garage and noticed the door normally kept open was closed. That’s when she screamed, re-opened the garage door and called 911 a second time at approximately 12:54 a.m.
“I have a gun pointed and I need the police to show up immediately,” said Richards on the 911 call. “I called 10 minutes ago and nobody has shown up.”
In a panic, Richards phoned her neighbor who came over armed, and helped hold the man at gunpoint.
“I called the police, they’re on their way. My neighbor’s on the way. I will shoot you, I will shoot you,” Richards says she told the intruder.
A deputy later arrived around 1:07 a.m.
Richards’ neighbors were thankful she had a gun to protect herself and her family amid the poor police response time.
“Had she not had a gun and been ready to protect herself or call the neighbors, she might not be standing here cause who knows what would happen,” said neighbor Melodie Nieves, whose husband went over to help Richards.
A WFLA investigation showed Pasco County police took as much as twice as long to respond to Richards’ call than normal.
Local news described Richards’ ordeal as “26 minutes of terror.”
Devin Cooke, 25, reportedly lived nearby and was arrested on felony burglary charges.
“The 25-year-old was taken in for a mental health evaluation, as per a prior court order,” reports WFLA.
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