15-year-old burglar gets into shootout with homeowner in Merced

MERCED, Calif. (KFSN) -- Merced neighbors said they're in shock after a 15-year-old burglary suspect gets in a shootout with a homeowner.

A sleeping homeowner woke to a nightmare Wednesday morning when an armed teen was ransacking his home.

"He was a little bit startled. As you can imagine, sound asleep and wake up and come face to face with somebody who's armed in his home," said Det. Curtis Gorman, Merced Police Department.

It took just seconds, police said, for the suspect to grab his gun. The homeowner was armed too and that's when investigators said they started firing at each other. The suspect was shot twice and relatives of the victim said the teen barely missed his head.

"He ran outside. We followed a blood trail that came to an end, so we're confident that he went into a getaway vehicle," said Gorman.

Police believe the teen was taken to a local hospital by an accomplice before he was transported.

A big screen TV, computers, phones, and jewelry are still missing which leads police to believe the burglars were in the house for awhile before the homeowner woke up.

Twenty minutes prior to the shootout, just down the block, Cliff McGhee was leaving his house.

"I left here at 10:10 this morning and the streets were clear-- there was nothing on these streets."

While McGhee said the news is shocking, it doesn't surprise him. He said there has been several break-ins around the neighborhood just in the last few months.

"Nice neighborhood and nice houses, and they think just because people have got nice houses that we have things they can steal-- which we don't. But they think we do I guess."

Police said once they find the second accomplice, and the teen suspect is released from the hospital, both suspects will be facing burglary and attempted murder charges.