CHARLOTTE – Two suspects are on the run after a teenager in the house they were robbing turned one of the criminals' guns against them.
At about 8:30 a.m. Saturday, police said two robbers broke into Danielle Gardin's home in north Charlotte.
"One guy opened up the garage, let the van in and then they started going upstairs," Gardin said.
Gardin wasn't home, but her 14-year-old son Dante was. He had locked the door to his room at the top of the stairs, called 911 and hid in the closet.
At about 8:30 a.m. Saturday, police said two robbers broke into Danielle Gardin's home in north Charlotte -- that's when her teenage son fought back.
"One of the guys kicked the door in, and then he started going through Dante's stuff," Gardin said.
The teenager had armed himself with a pocket knife. And with the stranger in his room distracted, Dante attacked.
"That's when he came out of the closet and that's when he stabbed the guy in the stomach," Gardin said.
While the two struggled in the room, the robber's gun fell to the floor. Dante picked it up and aimed it at the would-be criminal.
The man then took off down the stairs then sped away with his accomplice in the getaway van, damaging part of Gardin's garage in the process.
"I watch the news all the time and see this on the news all the time," Gardin said. "You just never think that it's going to happen to you, but, hey, you can't ever rule yourself out."
Hours after the ordeal, the damage to the home was already being repaired. And Gardin said she knows it could have been much worse.
"I was scared not knowing if he was OK," she said. "Just to know that he is OK, mentally and physically, was just the most important part for me."
Police said both suspects are black males with dreadlocks. One of the suspects was wearing a long-sleeved black T-shirt and jeans. The other was wearing a blue polo shirt with white stripes.
If you have any information that can help police, call Crime Stoppers at (704) 334-1600.