FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KMPH) -
Two war veterans confront a pair of burglars and despite the crooks firing a gun, in the end it was the bad guys that were sent running.
A homeowner interrupted the burglars around 10:30 Friday morning at a Fresno County home on West Belmont Avenue.
Retired U.S. Sailor Rafael Torres and retired U.S. Marine Scott Kallam surprised the crooks.
Scott Kallam says, "I moved forward so he wouldn't get shot point blank range, and I looked in the mirror and the guy brought the gun completely pointing it at us. I stepped on the gas and wailed on him with some gravel."
Rafael Torres says, "Eventually they started shooting at us."
Several shots were fired, but missed.
Kallam took off down the road, but never to run from a fight. He turned around hoping to catch the crooks' license plate.
The burglars then tried to play a game of chicken.
Then the crooks took off.
Rafael Torres says, "They took my pillow case, man. That's what we saw them running out of the house with. They also took my Xbox and an iPad tablet."
Kallam who carried a machine gun during the Vietnam War says he'll be ready if crooks decide to try their luck again.
Kallam says, "If they want to drop by again, this time they're not leaving. We'll send them home in a bag."
The veterans said the burglars are African American, in their early 20s. They were driving a white late 1970s or early '80s Ford F-150 short bed pickup truck with a lot of rust all over it.
Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers at (559) 498-STOP. You can remain anonymous.
