13-Year-Old Boy Takes Mom’s Gun to Halt Meth-Driven Intruder

PHOENIX, AZ – The Phoenix PD responded to a 9-1-1 call in the evening of September 8, according to Fox 10 Phoenix, reporting a home intruder. Arriving at the scene around 10 p.m., they found the intruder, one Juan Saavedra. 

Saavedra’s criminal record was redacted from documents made available to the press but included multiple priors and convictions. Saavedra is also a known transient. 

The home is occupied by a family, including both parents and five children. The mother stated that she had exited the home and told Saavedra – a stranger to them – to leave her front yard or else and that they would defend their home with gunfire, if necessary, in an effort to scare him off. 

It didn’t work. Saavedra pursued her, and she ran back into the house, locking the carport door and calling authorities while retrieving a gun and calling 9-1-1. She advised her children to hide, but her 13-year-old son remained by her. 

Saavedra shattered the glass of the carport door and was reaching through to unlock the doorknob. The boy recognized that his mother wasn’t doing anything, took her gun and opened fire. 

When police arrived, Saavedra was wounded in the arm and abdomen. He was transported to an area hospital, treated, and released into police custody. He revealed later to police that he had been smoking methamphetamine for the past few days and was searching for another transient friend who might have been in one of the neighborhood’s yards. 

He also disclosed that during the incident, he was under the influence of methamphetamine, and believed the boy was his son and the house was also his, even though he knew the compulsion was false. 

Saavedra faces second-degree burglary charges.

A Good Outcome That Was Likely Preventable

The boy, in this case, is unbelievably brave. Not only did he have the wherewithal to take action, he hit the target and caused him to give up. This kid has some stones and should be commended for it. 

However, there are a few key points worth bringing up.

Don’t Leave the Safety of Your Home

First is that the perpetrator gave chase after the mom went out and threatened him for what is otherwise just simple trespassing. Obviously, trespassing is a crime, but stepping on somebody’s dirt is hardly a justification for threatening to shoot them, let alone actually doing it. 

Put differently, she escalated the situation when she could have just as easily called the police and let them handle it. After all, that’s their job. 

Should she have to worry about homeless drug users in her yard? Obviously not, but it’s worth considering that there are situations where it’s better to call the police instead of taking risks yourself since it’s their job anyway. 

It’s also worth mentioning Saavedra believed things he knew not to be true but acted on those impulses anyway. Methamphetamine psychosis is a side effect of prolonged use, meaning meth addicts can be unpredictable, to say the least.

Obviously, the outcome wasn’t tragic. Nobody died, and the right person went to jail… but it also could have been avoided.

But what do you think? Let us know in the comments here or on social media.