Stephen Routh kept his gun trained on the alleged intruders while he called 911 for help.
A North Carolina man held three teens at gunpoint Sunday when he caught them allegedly sneaking out of his parents' Asheboro home.
Stephen Routh told Inside Edition a neighbor called him to report that the teens had allegedly broken into the home. He raced over and confronted them in the yard in a moment caught on camera.
"Down on the ground," Routh yelled as he trained his weapon on them. "Don't move."
Routh's son Hunter, who helped his dad hold the teens at bay, praised his father.
"He's a fearless man," Hunter told Inside Edition. "I've always known him to be that way and to see him really put it in action is very satisfying."
Routh added that he had no intent to hurt anyone. "I would not have shot at those teenagers had they got up and run," he said.
While the father and son waited for police to arrive, they opened the teens' backpacks and found their homework inside.
Now Routh has a message for them.
"Look guys, I've seen some of the notes in your backpacks. Your spelling sucks," he said.
The suspects did not take anything of value from the home, according to Routh, but merely trashed the place. Police are investigating the case.
RELATED STORIES
