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http://www.azcentral.com/community/ahwatukee/articles/0710ar-invasion0711.html
Resident faces intruders with rifle, cell phone
Weldon Johnson and Colleen Sparks
The Arizona Republic
Jul. 10, 2007 02:37 PM
When Ahwatukee Ryan Altieri heard knocking at the door of his quiet townhouse Monday evening he thought it might be a salesman.
Turns out it wasn't anything nearly as innocent.
At about 6:45, two men kicked in the door at Altieri's townhouse on Piedmont Road, near Guadalupe and 48th Street. Instead of an empty home, however, the intruders came face to face with Altieri - holding a cellphone and a rifle.
"I was in the bathroom when I thought I heard a knock," Altieri said. "They knocked for about three minutes, I guess trying to make sure nobody was home, then they started kicking the door in. So I got my cellphone and went into my bedroom and loaded my rifle."
Altieri, 27, said he was on the phone with the 911 operator when two intruders burst through the door. The intruders walked in on Altieri kneeling with his rifle trained on them and the cellphone at his ear.
"They saw me and started stuttering," Altieri said. "I said, 'One more step and you're done.'"
The men ran away, leaving their car behind. One suspect, a 17-year-old, was caught soon afterward. Police are still looking for the second intruder, a man believed to be in his 30s, according to Phoenix police Sgt. Leonard Pinuelas. Nothing was taken from the home.
Altieri said he has lived in the condo for about a year. He lives toward the rear of the complex, near Guadalupe Road and 48th Street, and described it as quiet.
He said he was surprised that anyone would try to break in at that time of day.
Altieri said that while he was glad he had his rifle to protect himself, he had hoped he didn't have to shoot the intruders.
"But you don't know what the hell is behind that door," he said.
