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Homeowner pulls gun on homeless intruder caught on camera eating food, ransacking home, court docs say

The homeowner found a handwritten note that referenced someone being allowed to stay in the house. That's when he checked his home security camera.

PHOENIX — Editor's Note: The above video is from a May report about the crime map which shows what crimes have been reported in your Phoenix neighborhood 

A Phoenix man and his son came home to an uninvited visitor last Friday afternoon who ate their food and rummaged through their things, court documents allege. 

Police arrested 32-year-old Edward Williams, a transient with prior felony convictions, police say. 

The incident unfolded around 3:45 p.m. at a home near 27th Avenue and Bethany Home Road.

Reports say the homeowner came home and found a handwritten note on a table that referenced someone being allowed to stay in the house. Finding this, he checked the security video. 

Credit: MCSO

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The video allegedly showed a man, who would later be identified as Williams, walking around the home, eating food and going through their things. The video was taken about 30 minutes prior to the man and his son coming home. 

The homeowner then noticed a door was closed to a room that was always opened. He went into the room and discovered Williams. 

With a handgun trained on Williams, the victim order him to turn around so he could take get a picture. 

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Williams refused and after exchanging words with the victim he escaped through a bathroom window. 

Officers caught up to him about two blocks away from the home. After a foot chase into an alley and through a crowd of children and parents leaving a nearby school Williams was caught, police reported. 

Williams refused to talk to police. 

According to Phoenix Uniform Crime Reporting numbers from May, there were almost 5,7000 break-ins reported in Phoenix up until that point in 2019. 

Data showed the 85041 ZIP code, south of downtown Phoenix, topped the list of neighborhoods with the highest number of reported break-ins.

RELATED: Crime map can show what crimes have been reported in your Phoenix neighborhood

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