MONROE — When an armed burglar snuck into a secluded home south of Monroe early Thursday, the homeowners fought back.
The suspect, a Monroe man, 24, had a gun, police say. The couple had a baseball bat.
In the scuffle that followed, the couple suffered minor injuries. The suspect was taken to a Seattle trauma center with head injuries.
“They hit him with a bat until they were sure he couldn’t fight them anymore,” Snohomish County sheriff’s spokeswoman Rebecca Hover said.
About 3:30 a.m., the man allegedly broke into the couple’s home in the 21600 block of 164th Drive SE. He apparently came in through an unlocked door, she said.
The couple declined to speak to a reporter from The Herald on Thursday, but they recounted their ordeal to a Seattle television station.
Donna and Roger Angevine said they don’t know the man who broke into their home but believe the break-in wasn’t random.
When the intruder told the couple he was alone, they decided to take him on. Roger Angevine started wrestling the man, and his wife grabbed the bat.
The woman said she repeatedly struck the man, but he continued to fight.
Police and paramedics rushed to the large home in a rural area near High Bridge Road. The suspect was taken to Valley General Hospital before being transferred to Harborview Medical Center.
On Thursday afternoon, he was still hospitalized but under guard by deputies, Hover said. She didn’t expect him to be released until today at the earliest.
When doctors give the OK for the suspect to leave the hospital, detectives expect to take the man to jail for investigation of first-degree robbery.
The Angevines are not in trouble with police, Hover said.
“They were defending themselves against a home invader,” she said.
The incident should serve as a reminder to people to protect themselves by locking doors and windows, Hover said.
Criminals prowl all areas.
“There’s no place in the county where you should leave your doors unlocked at night,” she said.
Deputies continue to investigate the incident.
Reporter Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437 or jholtz@heraldnet.com.
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