911 call released in home invasion

OAKLAND PARK, Fla. (WSVN) -- A few brave siblings made a call for help after someone broke into their home.

Last Friday morning, the siblings, ages 15, 12 and 11, were getting ready for school at their Oakland Park home. Their mother had already left for work, and they were home alone.

They heard a knock at the door and did not recognize the person who was knocking. The eldest child called their mother, who told them not to open the door. The 15-year-old girl then called police. "I talked to the mom myself. She said she just left and went to work. She said she wasn't even halfway to her job yet, and her daughter called her and said, 'Somebody's knocking on the door,'" said neighbor Nicki Miles.

The children reportedly heard a window shatter near the rear of the residence, and they all hid into a bedroom closet and called for help.

The Broward Sheriff's Office recently released the emergency call the teen made, in which she explained to the emergency dispatcher what was occurring. "Somebody broke into the house," the 15-year-old said, calmly and quietly. "Somebody please come!"

"What makes you think somebody..." the dispatcher responded.

In a hushed but panicked voice, the teen said, "They just broke into the house ... Can you please hurry?"

Dispatcher: "OK, are you inside the house?"

Teen: "Yes, I'm in the house."

Dispatcher: "What did you see or hear that made you think somebody broke into the house?"

Teen: "The window crashed, and then they climbed into the window."

Dispatcher: "OK, you heard the window crash. How many people?"

Teen: "One. Mom, I'm talking to the police."

Dispatcher: "Your mom's there with you? Is your mom there with you?"

Teen: "No, she is on her way to work."

Dispatcher: "You keep saying, 'Mom.' Who are you talking to?"

Teen: "My mom's on the phone. Mommy, hush."

Dispatcher: "OK, your mom is on the phone. Are you home by yourself, or is somebody else there with you? Are you in a bedroom?"

Teen: "Yes."

Dispatcher: "OK, is the door closed?"

Teen: "Yes."

The emergency call lasted for about 15 minutes, during which the dispatcher repeatedly assured the teen that help was on the way. However, she was clearly terrified. "I don't want to die, please," she said.

The dispatcher replied, "No, no, no. Don't worry about stuff like that. Don't say that."

Teen: "Trying not to cry."

Dispatcher: "Don't cry, you're doing a good job."

Moments later, authorities surrounded the home and the children were rescued. The dispatcher told the 15-year-old, "All right, listen, the police are all around the whole house, OK? So they want you, your sister and your brother to come out to the front door. It's OK, just go on out there. It's all right."

"You sure?" the teen asked.

"A few minutes later, they came with the dogs, everything, to make sure that they could go in the house," Miles said. "So when they went in, they asked the boy to surrender. 'If anybody's here, you need to surrender.' So they went in and shut the door. A few minutes later, they came back out, and they had the boy."

Deputies found 18-year-old Robert James in the closet of the homeowner's bedroom. He suffered several bites from the K-9 units that went into the home.

James was taken to the hospital to be treated for his injuries. He was then taken to jail, charged with obstruction with violence, resisting arrest and burglary of an occupied dwelling.

James has since bonded out and returned to the neighborhood; he only lives a few blocks away from where the burglary occurred.

There were no other injuries.

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