Share
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police arrested two suspects they found hiding in a closet during a home invasion Thursday after a neighbor reported the break-in.
Jeffrey Cooper, 16, and Shakil Middlebrooks, 19, both from Charlotte, have been charged with breaking and entering with force.
About 6:30 p.m. Thursday, a neighbor in the 6500 block of Brushwood Drive in northeast Charlotte called police to report two people kicking in the back door of his neighbor’s house, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg police.
At the scene, officers saw damage to the door, which was ajar, police said. Officers also saw a man fitting the witness’s description walking inside the house.
The officers announced themselves and went into the house, and a short time later they found Cooper and Middlebrooks hiding in a hallway closet, the release said.
In a press release, police spokesman Rob Tufano stressed the importance of neighbors keeping an eye out for each other.
“Had it not been for the cooperation of an alert neighbor who called 911 to report this suspicious activity, these two suspects would likely still be free to victimize another member of our community,” he said.
Thursday’s incident is Middlebrooks’ fourth arrest of the year.
