LAWTON, Okla_A Lawton neighborhood is in
shock following a burglary Tuesday night. It happened just before midnight at a
home near Southeast 45th and Brown. Police say Carlos Metaxas was in his
bedroom when he heard noises coming from the back of the house. He went to investigate
and found three men had forced their way through his back door.
Police say Metaxas
confronted the men but when he did, they blinded him with a pepper spray-like
substance and took off.
Neighbors are
still in shock because they say burglaries aren't that common in their
neighborhood. But now they are on high alert. Many of them are taking the
necessary precautions in case the burglars decide to come back.
Things are
peaceful in the east Lawton
neighborhood now but that wasn't the case Tuesday night.
Resident James Thomas
was baffled when he learned what happened at his neighbor's house, now he's
taking extra precautions.
"Make sure
my doors are locked when I go to bed at night, because it's not often you hear
of break-ins in this neighborhood."
Thomas said
what's worse is that it happened while Metaxes was home.
"It's
surprising because they can see his truck is parked out there and they still
broke into his house."
Neighbors say the
burglary while the owner was still inside makes them realize their seemingly
quiet neighborhood is changing and precautions need to be taken.
"I say
this for a lot of the senior people, purchase a gun, get your license, keep it
in your home and be prepared. The younger people today things are just a little
different from when we grew up, so you know we have to be more aware."
As for the
victim, Metaxes told us he is recovering and doing much better. He said he's
relieved nothing was taken. He also said he is replacing some of the locks on
his doors and adding a security system as a backup.
Lawton police also
tell 7News they have no suspects or leads at this time.
