Mom And Daughter Duo Tackle Suspected Burglar Outside Home Even Though ‘It Was Probably Not The Smartest Thing To Do’

A suspected burglar got an unwanted surprise when a California mother and daughter caught him in the act of robbing their Granite Bay home and chased after him, tackling him to the ground.

Despite the women’s heroic efforts, the alleged thief, identified by authorities as 28-year-old Richard Holesapple, managed to escape their grasp and ran away—although he didn't get far.

He was caught several hours later in a nearby field trying to hide from authorities, according to a statement from the Placer County Sheriff’s Office.

The dramatic scene began shortly after 11 p.m. when Julie Rux drove up to her home and discovered her suitcases sitting on the side of the road not far from her driveway.

“She got out of the car and opened the suitcases to find items from inside her house,” the sheriff’s office said.

Then she saw her garbage can had been moved to the end of her driveway.

“It was on the edge of the driveway with some of my husband’s rifles, hunting rifles, sticking out and I went, ‘Ok, that’s really not right,’” she told local station KTXL.

Just as she was discovering the misplaced property, Rux said she saw the suspect coming out of her home. He tried to find somewhere to hide but Rux took off after him. Her daughter, Maddie, happened to be arriving home at the same time and saw her mother chasing the man and “hopped out of the car” to help.

Rux said she didn’t think twice about chasing the man, although she later learned he had taken .38 from her bedroom and had been armed during the tussle.

“It was probably not the smartest thing to do,” she said.

But the horse trainer added that after handling large animals each day “a little guy is not as large as what you deal with on a daily basis.”

After Holesapple reportedly slipped their grasp, authorities were able identify him after discovering he had left a backpack with his identification at Rux’s home.

“The helicopters came, and you could hear them very clearly telling you to stay inside and lock the doors, there was an armed robber around here,” neighbor Lorraine Munoz told KCRA.

Several hours later a neighbor spotted the suspect in a field and deputies were able to apprehend him. A K-9 later found the stolen firearm nearby the home.

Holesapple has been charged with burglary, committing a secondary offense while out on bail for a separate case, being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a switchblade knife.

Holesapple had been out on bail in an identity theft case at the time of the alleged burglary.

He is being held on $615,000 bail.