Phoenix teen walks in on home burglary; threatened with gun

Joshua Corbett, a Phoenix College sophomore, said he noticed a broken window shortly after returning home with his girlfriend around 10 a.m. He then saw men running outside toward a truck near 51st Avenue and Baseline Road.

Corbett said he chased after them and confronted one of the men, but he and his girlfriend were threatened by another with a gun.

"He had a ski mask on and he pointed a gun at me, saying, 'Get back! Mind your business.' Stuff like that. 'Get in the house!' So I put my hands up and just walked in the house," he said.

Phoenix Police spokesman Sgt. Jonathan Howard described the suspects as Hispanic men in their late teens, driving a white Chevy pickup.

The suspects stole jewelry, electronics and several limited-edition shoes collected by the teen and his younger brother, but they also left a lot of items behind in the haste to escape.

"Because he caught them in the middle, there were things just everywhere," said Corbett's mother, Felicia.

The suspects left the family's TV outside, its cord stuck in a side gate where they apparently attempted to pass it over. They also left electronics and other valuables in bags and clothing hampers, ready to be carried out, according to Corbett's father, James.

"I feel violated. My home's been gone through," said the Air Force veteran. "They went through my drawers, my wife's drawers, threw clothes everywhere."

The family says Joshua's interruption kept them from losing a lot of stuff. They're the most grateful, however, they didn't lose him.

"Thank God he's alright," James Corbett said.

Within an hour of the break-in at the family's home, Joshua's younger brother discovered someone was offering some of their collector sneakers for sale on Snapchat.

He passed along the individual's name and username to police.