Yuba City Man Attacked For Trying To Stop Car Burglary
YUBA CITY (CBS13) — A Yuba City man is in the hospital after he was attacked for trying to stop a would-be car burglary.
Karl Sanders caught a teenager trying to break into his neighbor's van Sunday morning. When he tried to intervene, he was attacked.
Yuba City police say the would-be- burglar is a 16-year-old from Yuba City. They aren't releasing his identity because of his age but said he's in juvenile hall facing burglary and assault charges.
Sanders saw him trying to break into his neighbor's car and said he was just doing what he thought was right.
Early Sunday morning Barbara Sanders got a call that her brother was hurt and she needed to go to his home in Yuba City, immediately.
READ ALSO: Hero On The Line: Dispatcher Recognized For Helping Save Infant
"I see my brother sitting on the gurney, he's just covered in blood," said his sister Barbara."If you ask him, he'll tell you 'I just did what anybody would've done.' Most people wouldn't of even called police, I'm proud of him."
Sanders said he knew immediately the suspect shouldn't have been in the white van. CBS13 spoke with him via video chat from his hospital room.
"I happen to know the neighbor that owned the car, that's part of why I did it. Like I said, I just did what I thought was right," Sanders said.
But when he approached the teenager in the car, he was attacked.
READ: Sierra College Football Team Remembers Player Shot And Killed In Fair Oaks Shooting
"Next thing I know, we started fighting and he got a better punch on me," he said.
The teenager then ran off. Now Sanders is just happy he's alive. He has a broken rib, a tear on his spleen, and plenty of bumps and bruises. But his sister says Karl wouldn't have it any other way.
"His eyes are swollen shut, he's got blood everywhere and he's worried about his daughter and work," she said.
The car belongs to Sander's neighbor Rebecca Allen, who was asleep when this happened.
"It doesn't surprise me because that's the kind of guy that Karl is," she said.
READ ALSO: Vacaville Target Shoplifting Suspect Caught With Brand New SUV Reported Stolen From Folsom
A police officer knocked on her door and told her what happened.
"He said, 'Is this your van out here?' and I said, 'Yes.' He said, 'You know it's open and there was blood all over it.'"
Allen said she couldn't afford to replace her car, and she's forever grateful for her neighbor Karl.
"God I owe him, God I really owe him," she said.
Yuba City police say they were able to make contact with the teenager just down the street from Sanders home. Police are looking into whether he's connected to any other burglaries or car break-ins in town.
A GoFundMe has been started to help Sanders with his medical expenses.
