OKC Homeowner Comes Face To Face With Burglary Suspect On The Run

It was a dangerous encounter, one man face to face with a stranger running from police.

A southwest Oklahoma City homeowner thinks fast, grabs his gun and ends up helping officers make an arrest.

It all kicked off when the OCPD officer spotted a stolen car at a gas station. But the driver took off and then jumped out and started running.

After a search, police thought the man got away.

“And they said it was clear, so I just stood right here for I don’t know, maybe 7, 10 minutes,” said Steve Dildine.

Steve Dildine wanted to be sure. He grabbed his gun and kept a close eye on his backyard just in case the suspect, who police have identified as 35-year-old Brian Ryan, were to pop up.

But as he waited, his three dogs became frantic.

“I wanted to see what they were doing. I got right here and the guy was kneeling down right here. He was like this, and looking at me, and then he got up and put his hands up,” said Dildine.

Steve said Ryan was in his bedroom the entire time, at least 20 minutes.

“I didn’t know if he had a weapon, if he had a knife,” said Dildine.

At that point, Steve was without his weapon, but he was able to back up and grab it.

“He was right here when I put my gun on him, and then he screamed,” said Dildine. “I guess he thought I was actually going to shoot him.”

The suspect ran trying to get out of the home, but Steve didn't let him get away.

“I told him to keep his hands where I could see him,” said Dildine.

He walked up to the suspect, put an arm behind his back and walked him outside where he was arrested by Oklahoma City officers.

“You just don’t think that that’s going to happen to you. If I didn’t have a weapon, I could have been a dead guy if that guy had a weapon,” said Dildine. “You don’t know. You never know.”

A pocket knife, a cell phone, and a key left by the suspect are still sitting inside the bedroom where Ryan allegedly broke in.

He faces a number of criminal complaints including first degree burglary.