Fort Worth police arrested two burglary suspects Sunday after being alerted by quick-thinking neighbors who were armed – with a camera.
Larry Flanagan and his partner Jody Stapleton had just arrived home from church to their home in the 6400 block of Espana Drive.
They looked outside their front window and couldn't believe their eyes.
"And in broad daylight, it was kind of shocking, right in front of us,” Stapleton said.
Strangers appeared to be casing the vacant house across the street.
"We knew nobody was supposed to be in there,” Flanagan said.
They took out their phones, started snapping pictures and called police.
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Officers arrived within a few minutes.
"The resident did a phenomenal job taking pictures, giving great descriptions to our dispatch, letting the officers know who to look for,” said Fort Worth officer Buddy Calzada.
The suspects had just left but didn't make it far.
Officers spotted them around the corner.
"They were trying to break into another house,” Flanagan said. "They got them!"
At first the suspects denied they were doing anything wrong.
But Flanagan and Stapleton had the proof.
"The cops came back to our house to verify the pictures,” Stapleton said. “They told them they were out for a Sunday walk."
Police arrested Christopher Anderson, 30, and Majestique Goodwin, 29, on felony burglary charges. Both remained in the Tarrant County Jail Thursday night.
"It just happened to come together very, very fast and it was phenomenal,” Calzada said.
Now, Flanagan and Stapleton say they're hearing from dozens of their neighbors thanking them for a job well done.
"We are the heroes of the neighborhood,” Stapleton said laughing.
