Utility Worker Protects Mom, Kids From Intruder 'On Drugs'

PUYALLUP, WA - A utility worker protected a mother and her two children from a man acting erratically and possibly on drugs along 176th Street East last week. The intruder was seen walking in the middle of the road and yelling before he approached the mother, who was leaving her home to take her kids to school.

Around 8 a.m. on Jan. 31, multiple people called 911 to report a man acting strangely along 176th near 70th Avenue East. The man was "blocking traffic, waving his arms around, talking to himself, and banging on vehicle windows," according to the Pierce County Sheriff's Office.

Nearby, the utility worker was fixing a meter at a home when he noticed the man begin to approach a home across the street. Then, the utility worker heard a woman scream and saw the intruder enter an open garage. The utility worker dashed toward the home and placed himself between the intruder and the family. The mother and her kids were able to get back inside the home safely.

The utility worker trapped the intruder in the garage until deputies arrived. The intruder struggled with the officers and got in the mother's car and refused to let go of the steering wheel. A deputy had to use a Taser to subdue the intruder.

The 26-year-old was eventually arrested and taken to jail on charges of first-degree burglary, motor vehicle theft, obstruction of police, and disorderly conduct.

Image via Shutterstock