Boy Calls 911, Saves Family from Gunmen

(CBS/AP)  A terrified 7-year-old boy begged emergency dispatchers to send police to his Southern California home where three armed robbers threatened his parents, according to a recording of the call released Tuesday.

Gunmen broke into the boy's home Tuesday morning and announced that they would take whatever they wanted, Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Steve Kenny said.

Listen to Boy's 911 Call

The boy and his 6-year-old sister hid unnoticed in the locked bathroom while the suspects threatened his mother and father at gunpoint.

"There's some guy who's going to kill my mom and dad," he said breathlessly. "Bring cops. A lot of them! ... And soldiers, too."

The suspects eventually broke into the bathroom and someone screamed. The 911 operator sounded shaken as she explained what happened to her colleagues.

The 911 dispatcher, Monique Patino, told CBS station KCAL that she thought of her own children during the ordeal.

"You could hear the fear in the kid's voices," she said.

Kenny said the suspects grabbed the boy and asked who he called. He responded, "911." The gunmen fled without taking anything or injuring the family.

"If not for the brave and educated actions of the 7-year-old boy, this might have ended tragically," said sheriff's Capt. Pat Maxwell.

The three men remain at large.

[quinsmith]

Wow this is one of the amazing stories I've ever read at he's very young age he exactly knows where or how to ask help when danger comes. You're a hero. I would like to share this safety service that I'm using to ask for help whenever I encounter danger. It's SafeTREc mobile application that has a panic button,by just pressing the button simultaneously alerts and mobilize a select group of friends and family members when a person is in danger , and if needed gets the emergency to the nearest emergency services dispatcher. For more knowledge on how this application works try to check their website http://safetrec.com/

[bliddel]

Pardon me. Not to lessen the very proper actions of the child, but was it not the police themselves who saved the family from gunmen? What makes the child a hero? He did as he should have been taught to do. Nothing more. Well, OK, the kid obviously does not appreciate the constitutional prohibition on our military engaging in police work, but that's a whole other issue.

Now, the fact that police could actually respond quickly enough to prevent an armed robbery from being executed to successful completion is quite newsworthy, because that happens very rarely.

[dpham1003]

Wow your a tool. The kid is 7. And if you read closer the would be robbers fled before the police even got there so they didn't save the family from the gunmen.Stop being so high and might.

[magnumdr]

This kid deserves some kind of awward for his heroism. Somebody should send him to Disneyland for free.

[RoboBlogger]

good job kiddo! next time, request for a blackhawk.