CHICAGO – A Northwest Side resident stopped a burglary Thursday afternoon by hitting the alleged suspect with a cast iron frying pan.
According to the homeowner, Jason Williams, he received a call from his alarm company just after 3 p.m. as he was already on his way home, notifying him of a front door alarm.
Williams said he looked at his camera feed and saw a man trying to break in. He had no idea anyone was still inside, until he walked in and came face to face with the suspect, who walked down from upstairs.
“He seemed as startled as I was when we ran into each other downstairs, and once he got hit with the frying pan, he was super stunned,” said Williams.
Williams told WGN News he didn’t know what to grabbed, so he reached for the frying pan, and the pair got in a tussle as he hit the suspect inside the foyer several times.
“Unfortunately, he got outside, chased him around the back of the house,” Williams said.
Williams said he was trying to get the suspect to stop, but the man managed to get out the front gate, even as he was being hit with the pan. Thankfully, Williams’ alarm company had notified the Chicago Police Department and officers arrived as the chase spilled into the street.
“Right when I came out, they were there, so I was really happy to see police,” said Williams.
According to Chicago police, the 33-year-old suspect was taken into custody and brought to Illinois Masonic Hospital, where he was reportedly in good condition.
Williams said watching the video back felt like something out of a television series or movie, but he also recognizes the seriousness of the situation.
“This is your house; I have kids, I have a wife, I have a dog, so you’re worried about your family, but you really feel violated, and I was angry, so the frying pan – took it out on the burglar,” said Williams.
Williams said his dog was also home at the time of the break-in and was not injured. He does not believe the dog heard the man come inside, or the situation may have been handled before he got home.
“I’m glad he wasn’t armed, I’m glad the police were here, and I’m glad he was caught quickly,” said Williams. “I’m not advocating that people fight back, but sometimes you’ve gotta say enough is enough and stick it back to the criminal.”
This isn’t the first time Williams chased a burglary suspect away, he said. It was his second time in his 15 years of living in the city.
“My wife definitely was not happy and she’s like, you’ve gotta stop doing this,” said Williams.
The homeowner said since police did not take the pan as evidence, he planned to use it to cook, but the dent might need to be fixed eventually.
Williams did not seek medical treatment, according to CPD.
Charges are pending as area detectives continue to investigate.