Man's ex-girlfriend caught breaking in, trying to set home on fire

SHELBY TWP., Mich. (FOX 2) - A frantic call to 911 reported a woman with a gun breaking into a Shelby Township home and trying to set the place on fire.

The call came in just before 1 a.m. Wednesday when Shelby Township police say a young woman in a house on 24 Mile Road near Dequindre heard someone downstairs.

Shelby Twp police arrest home invader trying to set house of ex on fire

The father was able to get a hold of the suspect and take the weapon away from her police said

"She got her father up and said I hear noises downstairs," said Lt. Pat Barnard.

The electricity was also cut off. At first the young woman's father checked out the first floor finding nothing.

"He hears somebody or something in the basement so he's working his way down there and that's when he's confronted by the suspect," Barnard said.

The intruder, a 21-year-old woman, was his son's ex-girlfriend. She was seen dousing the basement carpet with lighter fluid and stunned to see him. The ex-girlfriend fired a single shot but thankfully no one was hit.

"The father was able to get ahold of the suspect and take the weapon away from her," said Barnard.

The father kept the woman there until police arrived. Officers handcuffed her without incident, realizing that woman may have been just moments away from setting the home on fire.

"If it wasn't for the daughter getting up and hearing something downstairs, it could've been a completely different story, it could have been tragic."

Neighbors hearing the news were stunned. The young woman is now in the Macomb County Jail facing possible charges of home invasion, attempted arson and attempted murder.

"It would've been a tragedy for our community," Barnard said. "And we're fortunate it ended the way it did."