Retired Officer Subdues Home Intruder With Hammer During Nighttime Scuffle
Neighbors assisted the 59-year-old former Anne Arundel County Police officer in restraining the suspect until police arrived.
By Marco Kapoor ·
A retired police officer used a hammer to defeat a man who entered his home late Friday night in Baltimore's Morrell Park neighborhood. The incident ended with the suspect in custody and neighbors assisting the family until first responders arrived.
Anthony Mills, 59, served for 25 years with the Anne Arundel County Police Department before retiring. On the evening of November 6, he and his wife, Kim Mills, 62, were preparing for bed. Kim Mills stepped out to retrieve an item from their vehicle and returned to the home, locking the rear entrance behind her.
The couple's dog, Scooter, began barking and pacing near the top of the stairs. Kim Mills walked to the hallway to check on the animal. Upon turning on the light and descending the stairs, she saw a man crouching at the bottom. He wore a red shirt and a blue hat and remained motionless with his hands near his stomach.
Kim Mills retreated to the bedroom and alerted her husband. Anthony Mills approached the stairs and attempted to have the stranger surrender his hands. The man refused. Anthony Mills retrieved a hammer from the steps and struck the intruder to gain compliance. The two men fought through the house, pulling at the tool, until they crashed through the front door onto the porch.
Anthony Mills called for help while the bloodied stranger apologized during the struggle. Kim Mills dialed 911. Young adults living nearby heard the commotion. One man ran to the porch and removed the hammer from the pair, helping Anthony Mills pin the intruder to the ground. Two women approached Kim Mills, who was shaking, and guided her away from the scene to calm her.
Police arrived at approximately 11:30 p.m. to find Anthony Mills holding the man down. Blood trails marked the porch and the front door. Officers took the suspect into custody and transported him to a nearby hospital for serious injuries, according to Lindsey Eldridge, a Baltimore Police Department spokeswoman. The suspect is scheduled for processing at Central Booking after his medical care.
Anthony Mills noted that the intruder smelled of sandwiches and wore a shirt from a local sub shop. Kim Mills said she still sees the man at the bottom of the stairs whenever she walks past that area. The couple expressed gratitude for the quick response from their neighbors.
