A 10-year-old Akron boy had a gun pointed at him after he was startled out of sleep, but he remained calm and his sharp attention to detail led police to two home invasion suspects.
Ajaiden Powell called 911 after the intruders left his home with a gaming system and cell phones.
"We just got robbed and we were asleep," the boy told the operator. "Somebody had on a mask and he had a gun."
The boy's mother, Adrienne Short, left for work on Monday night, leaving Ajaiden and his younger sister home alone sleeping. A babysitter was on the way to the home, Short told News 5.
However, shortly before midnight, two men used a crow bar to force open a sliding door and went up to children's bedroom.
Ajaiden awoke to the commotion and saw one of the men-- wearing a blue ski mask-- holding his PlayStation 4.
"He told me to go back bed. He had the PS4 in his other hand and he had the gun pointed at my head, like directly at my head and then he told me to go back to bed. I didn't really go back to bed. I acted like I did," he said.
Ajaiden said he tried to take a "screenshot in his head" so he would remember details of the suspects.
He told police about blue ski masks and that one of the men had big eyes and was wearing black pants and a jacket.
He also said the other man lifted his ski mask, giving the boy a chance to describe where his facial hair was.
Based on the boy's memory, Akron police were able to quickly identify and arrest the suspects a few blocks away at West Market Street and Rhodes Avenue.
Lee Garrett, 27, and LaNair Parker, 26, were charged with aggravated burglary, aggravated robbery and possession of criminal tools.
It turns out Parker is Ajaiden's uncle, but the boy didn't realize it because his face was covered. Police also determined the weapon that was brandished during the home invasion was a pellet gun.
Short said she's extremely proud of her smart son.
"I told him, 'I'm so proud that you didn't let fear overtake you. You actually knew exactly what to do,'" she said.
Ajaiden would like to be an NBA basketball player one day, but after his precise witness detail, police said he may want to consider a career as a detective.
He offered simple advice to anyone else who may witness a crime.
"Think of a camera in your head. Just memorize that stuff and the first thing you do is call 911."
