11-year-old boy fights off home invasion with machete

An 11-year-old boy who was put in a closet during a home invasion decided to fight back and hit the suspect in the back of the head with a machete, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said.

The 19-year-old suspect was later caught when he showed up to an area hospital with a head wound, deputies said.

The incident started just after 11 a.m. when a woman knocked on the door of a home along Yarborough Road in Mebane, Orange County deputies said in a news release.

The 11-year-old boy, who was home alone, saw another man standing outside near a car as the woman was knocking on the door.

Just then, another man broke a window on the other side of the house and entered the home, the news release said.

“That intruder took possession of a pellet rifle belonging to the homeowner and forced the juvenile into a back bedroom closet, instructing him to remain there,” deputies said.

The boy, who deputies described as a “star baseball player on several area teams,” later left the closet and was able to grab a machete.

“He entered the living room behind the intruder, swung the machete, and struck the man in the back of the head,” the news release said. “The man retaliated by kicking the boy in the stomach, causing him to fall against the couch.”

But, the boy was not finished, so he, got up, swinging the machete again, but missed this time, deputies said.

“The intruder then kicked the child in the side of the head and turned to grab several items, including a television and a Playstation,” the news release said.

However, the suspect realized he was “bleeding significantly from the machete” wound, according to deputies.

The man dropped all the loot and left the house along with the two other suspects, who all fled the scene.

After deputies arrived and the boy was treated, officials notified area hospitals to be on the lookout for a man needing treatment to his head.

A short time later, a man matching the description showed up at the ER at UNC Hospital in Hillsborough, requesting treatment for an injury to the head, according to deputies.

Investigators sought warrants from the Orange County Magistrate against Jataveon Dashawn Hall, 19, of Monroe, who is still at the hospital.

“When released, he will be served with warrants for breaking and entering, second degree kidnapping, interfering with emergency communications, and assault on a child under 12,” the news release said.

Authorities said they are still investigating.