Quick thinking, self-defense training, and a smart investment allowed an 11-year-old boy to defend himself against a suspected burglar—using a machete.
Jataveon Dashawn Hall, 19, allegedly broke into the in Mebane, North Carolina home and forcing the boy into a closet. Using self-defense knowledge he learned with his father after the family home was burgled some years ago, the boy escaped. He grabbed his machete from the wall, and hit the suspect over the head.
Home Alone Yet Prepared
The boy recalled to local news station WTVD that he as speaking with his mother over the phone at the time Hall allegedly broke into the house through a window on Friday, June 14. The boy was home alone.
Once inside, Hall picked up a pellet gun at the home and aimed it at the boy. The boy said he knew the gun wasn’t loaded, so he followed Hall’s instructions to get in a closet.
“He went into the living room to grab my phone to make sure I didn’t call the [police] or anything,” the boy recounted to WTVD. “When I saw him try to put it in his pocket I grabbed my machete off of my wall and went to hit him. I hit him in the back of the head.”
Hall responded violently. He kicked the boy in the head and the stomach. Hall then realized that he was bleeding. At that point, the suspect dropped the video games and television he was attempting to thieve and fled with two possible accomplices, according to officials.
Finding the Injured Suspect
Upon learning the details of the incident from the boy, area police notified local hospitals to be on alert for a man seeking treatment for head trauma.
Soon enough, staff from a hospital in Hillsborough (just 10 miles from Mebane) identified the suspect. Hospital staff then contacted the authorities. However, Hall’s injury worsened, forcing his transfer to another medical center in Chapel Hill (about 12 miles from Mebane).
Police said they called the hospital on Saturday morning only to discover that Hall had checked out “against medical advice” the night before. An anonymous tip led authorities to Hall’s mother’s apartment in Burlington, approximately 40 miles from Chapel Hill.
Hall was arrested on Sunday, taken to the Orange County Detention Center. He faces charges of: breaking and entering, assault on a child under 12, second degree kidnapping, and interfering with emergency communications. It is not clear if the two alleged accomplices have been identified or apprehended.
The boy, who plays baseball, used gift cards to purchase the machete some time ago. He normally uses it to cut down trees, according to WTVD. See the interview below.