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Actions Of Quick-Thinking 7th Grader Leads To Arrest Of 2 Suspected Burglars

RIVERSIDE (CBSLA.com) — An upstairs bathroom became a safe haven for a 12-year-old Thursday who says he heard banging on the door of his home in Riverside.

"I shut this door like this and I locked it," said Farhan Arshad.

That locked door became the only thing standing between the 7th grader and two suspected burglars.

"I heard them going through my stuff, my sister's stuff and going all around the upstairs room," he said.

It started when Farhan was home alone after school. He says he heard banging on the door. Then, someone breaking in through the back.

He grabbed his phone, ran upstairs, and called 911. The dispatcher told him to hide and stay calm.

"It was basically like feeling trapped inside your own home, not able to do anything," he said.

Through it all, he was texting his mom, saying:

"Please, I'm scared," "police are coming," and later, "they are inside."

"That was the scariest, scariest moment of my life," said Ambreen Arashad, his mother.

She called 911 from her car and rushed home.

By the time she arrived, police had already arrived.

Burglars
(left to right) Police say Austin Parks and Derek Sibauste were arrested Thursday. (Photo courtesy Riverside PD)

Pictures showed them taking the two suspected burglars into custody, with a helicopter and K-9 unit standing by.

Austin Parks, 18, of Riverside, along with 21-year-old Derek Sibauste, of Riverside, were arrested and later booked into jail for burglary and conspiracy to commit burglary.

Police returned her jewelry and an iPad they say the pair tried to steal.

"Cops were here within a couple of seconds. I'm glad to live in Riverside," she said.

Arashad says she's thankful for the police and proud of her son for acting so smart in a terrifying moment.

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