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Lancaster Neighbors Foil Suspected Burglar In Progress

LANCASTER (CBS) — Martha Carnahan thought a 19-year-old pushing a shopping car through her Lancaster neighborhood looked out of place.

Carnahan knew something was wrong.

She told Carter Evans, reporting for CBS2 and KCAL9 that Jaime Ramirez looked suspicious. "I said, what is this guy doing? So I stood and watched."

She watched as he loaded his cart with stolen goods from her neighbor's home. She says he then nonchalantly started heading back into the desert.

Burglars had hit this home the day before.

Carnahan called the police and the homeowner. "I just called him and said the guys here, he's at the house again."

Chris Ramirez, no relation to the suspect, said: "I got good neighbors."

The homeowner raced home. He got there in time to see the suspect pushing the shopping cart full of his stuff. "I told him to stop, he goes 'Who are you, why am I stopping?' I go 'Because you're the one who's been robbing my house.'"

Ramirez, the home owner, tackled Ramirez, the suspect, and held him down until police arrived.

Ramirez showed Evans some cuts and bruises he got for tackling and rolling around with the suspect.

The suspect had his share of scrapes. Evans said to the homeowner, "He got banged up too. I saw his mugshot." Ramirez replied, with a laugh, "No comment."

And in a twist of irony, reports Evans, the suspect was the one calling for police.  "He was like 'Somebody call the police, please call the police! This guy's trying to kill me."

Carnahan told him, "No problem, I'm already on the phone with the police."

Jaime Ramirez is behind bars and the homeowner had a stern warning: "You're messing with the wrong neighborhood."

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