Man Breaks Into Home With Hammer And Is Fed By Residents, Police Say

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — A homeless man who broke into an Orange County home and threatened the sleeping occupants with a hammer while asking for food was arrested Wednesday morning, authorities said.

On Wednesday, March 20, Westminster Police Officers were called at around 6 a.m. to a residence located in the 14800 block of Cordoba Place in response to a man forcing entry into a home where three women were asleep in their bedrooms.

According to police, one of the women said she was stirred awake by loud noises before being confronted by the suspect, who was identified as Michael Alan Garnett Jr.

Another woman was able to run out of the home, police said, and a third woman attempted to speak to Garnett.

At that point, police said Garnett lifted his shirt and brandished a hammer to both women while asking for food.

The women led him into the kitchen, where he was given a banana to eat. He sat on the living room sofa as he ate and drank from a bottle of whiskey that he found inside the home, authorities said. The women immediately phoned the police.

When officers arrived, they immediately found Garnett still inside the home. He was taken into custody without incident and faces armed robbery and burglary charges, police said.

“I can only imagine how terrifying this must have been for the three victims, their quick thinking aided in the police response and probably saved them from harm,” Deputy Chief Cameron Knauerhaze said in a news statement.

Anyone with additional information that may aid the ongoing investigation into the incident was asked to contact Detective J. Figueroa at 714-548-3783, or Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS or by logging on to www.occrimestoppers.org. Callers can remain anonymous.