A viral video captured the moment a Texas man shot through the door of his Dallas apartment at two men posing as maintenance workers trying to break in.
Ethan Rodriguez was suspicious when he heard a knock on his door around 6 p.m. Saturday from two people he didn’t recognize. One of the suspects, identified as Aaron Contreras, 30, said he was there to check the air conditioner filters in the apartment, according to a police statement.
Wild footage shows the suspects trying to kick in the door of the apartment, when the homeowner opened fire and sent several shots through the door.
Rodriguez, who fired 13 shots at the suspects, said if he didn’t think fast enough, he would “probably be dead today.”
The suspects fled the areas when police later arrived and found bullet holes in the wall of the apartment across the hall.
One of the suspects, identified as Aaron Contreras, 30, said he was a maintenance worker who was there to check the air conditioner’s filter
Dallas police officers responded to the Interlace Apartments where they found 13 shell casings, with 13 bullet holes exiting the front door, and two entering the homeowner’s apartment door
Wild footage shows the suspects trying to kick in the door of the apartment, when the homeowner opened fire and sent several shots through the door.
According to police, Contreras was arrested Tuesday on charges of aggravated assault, deadly conduct and attempted burglary of a home.
It is unclear whether the second suspect has been identified.
The video shows Contreras, who was armed with a gun, knocked on the door and claimed to be a maintenance worker.
Rodriguez asked the man, “Can I help you?”
“Er…yeah, they came to check your air filters…” the suspect replied.
But Rodriguez grew suspicious after the man made two false statements. He knew Contreras was lying because the last time he tried to get the air filter replaced, maintenance said they couldn’t help.
Rodriguez also noted that, contrary to what Contreras claimed, no one had come by earlier that day to check the filters.
“He lied twice… So I suspected it anyway,” he said.
Rodriguez said his clothes were also a giveaway.
“He had on what looked like a tracksuit with black shoes and I think it was a blue sweatshirt, and then he had a bandana on, but he played the part. He had the whole notebook and everything,’ he told WFAA.
Contreras was arrested Tuesday on charges of aggravated assault, deadly conduct and attempted burglary of a home
The video shows Contreras, who was armed with a gun, knocked on the door and claimed to be a maintenance worker
A second suspect, dressed in a red shirt, was also spotted outside the house
The doorbell camera captured the moment when the suspect shifted his posture, releasing a violent side beneath his facade as he attempted to forcefully kick down the apartment door.
A viral video captured the moment a Texas man shot through the door of his Dallas apartment as men posing as maintenance workers tried to break in
Without opening his front door, Rodriguez eventually grabbed his gun and fired several shots through the door, hitting the wall in front of it.
Rodriguez was home with his brother at the time of the incident. No one was injured
Rodriguez then decided to tell Contreras that he was not home.
“No one is home right now,” can be heard in the video. “You’ll have to wait until another day.”
Contreras leaves and returns a few minutes later with a masked man and a gun, police said.
The doorbell camera captured the moment when the suspect shifted his posture, releasing a violent side beneath his facade as he attempted to forcefully kick down the apartment door.
Without opening his front door, Rodriguez eventually grabbed his gun and fired several shots through the door, hitting the wall in front of it.
The footage shows bullets flying into his neighbor’s apartment.
“I couldn’t think straight… I had to hurry up and find my gun… come back and position myself… facing the door.”
“I had to think quickly…I didn’t let anything happen to me or my brother,” he added.
Contreras fired two shots in response before quickly fleeing the scene along with the second suspect.
Dallas police officers responded to the Interlace Apartments where they found 13 shell casings, with 13 bullet holes exiting the front door and two entering the homeowner’s apartment door.
Dallas police officers responded to the Interlace Apartments where they found 13 shell casings, with 13 bullet holes exiting the front door
The doorbell camera captured the moment when the suspect changed behavior and the incident nearly turned deadly
Rodriguez was home with his brother at the time of the incident. His wife and their seven-month-old son were not at home
Rodriguez told WFAA he felt compelled to shoot the suspects after seeing the gun in one of their hands.
“I was hoping I got them,” he told WFAA. “That was mostly it, I just hoped I got them.”
“(Police) told me I fired 13 shots,” he added. “I couldn’t believe it, but I emptied the clip anyway!”
No one was injured in the incident.
Rodriguez was home with his brother at the time of the incident. His wife and their seven-month-old son were not at home. Rodriguez said he plans to break his lease and look elsewhere for accommodation.
“Everything happened, you might say, in God’s favor,” he said. “I was protecting my family, and he was just a dummy trying to come to my house and take whatever.”