Teen Boy Protects Mother, Shoots Burglar As He Enters Their West Phoenix Home

A teenage boy is being called a hero and he stopped a man from breaking into their house on Friday night, protecting himself and his mother.

Juan Saavedra

Juan Saavedra (Photo Provided by: Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office)

Sometime before 10 p.m. Friday evening, the teenage boy and his mom were at their home near 75th Avenue and Camelback Road when they confronted a man who was attempting to break into their home by breaking a window and hitting their door. The teen shot the intruder as he attempted to enter their home.


When officers responded they found 35-year-old Juan Saavedra had been shot. He was taken to a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Through an investigation, detectives learned the intruder doesn’t live at aor have any connection to anyone in the home. The teenager provided detectives with self-defense statements which were consistent with witnesses and evidence found at the scene

Saavedra has been booked into jail on two counts of second-degree burglary.