Moses Lake man foils burglar armed with victim's gun

MOSES LAKE — A Moses Lake man managed Wednesday to foil a burglar armed with a pistol that had been stolen from the man’s home just several days prior, according to officials with the Grant County Sheriff’s Office.

The man was reportedly returning to his home in the 1000 block of Lowry Street and opened his front door when he allegedly discovered Luis Hernandez Santa Cruz, a 27-year-old Moses Lake resident, burglarizing the home while armed with a pistol.

The victim reportedly jumped into action and began struggling with Hernandez Santa Cruz in an attempt to disarm the alleged burglar.

At some point during the altercation, the victim managed to place a 911 call. Dispatchers were told of the address where the incident was occurring and heard two men yelling, and responding deputies came to the scene expecting an active altercation.

When deputies with the GCSO arrived on the scene, they reportedly approached the ajar front door of the residence before hearing sounds of a tussle hidden by a vehicle in the driveway. Officers approached the sounds to discover the victim wrestling Hernandez Santa Cruz in the snow, according to law enforcement.

The alleged would-be burglar attempted to get up and flee when law enforcement approached to break up the altercation, but deputies commanded him to stay on the ground. Hernandez Santa Cruz was arrested and booked into Grant County Jail Wednesday night on charges of first-degree burglary, second-degree possession of stolen property and possession of a stolen firearm.

It was the second time in less than a week that this particular residence had been burglarized. The pistol found on Hernandez Santa Cruz was one of two firearms that had been stolen from the victim’s home several days prior; a stolen shotgun has still not been recovered, according to law enforcement.