PHOENIX -- A 9-year-old boy in Phoenix has been given a key to the city after helping police catch a group of burglars who had broken into his neighbor’s home.
Police are calling Graham Young a hero, saying he saw someone crawling into his neighbor’s house and knew they shouldn’t be there. So he ran to get his mom, and she called 911.
But it all started out as a normal day.
"I was playing in my back yard, by myself, like usual,” Graham said.
"He saw a neighbor's house being burglarized,” explained Phoenix Police Sgt. Tommy Thompson. “He saw an individual crawl through the window, then open the door to allow other suspects into the house."
"I think he said, ‘Mom, we've got to call the police,’” his mother recalled.
Graham described the burglars.
"Were you scared during this? What were you thinking during all that time?” 3TV asked.
“I was thinking … scared,” he said, “that they might do something bad."
He didn't give them the chance. Officers arrived and arrested all three suspects.
So to thank him, the officers gave Graham a plaque that he quickly gave to his proud mother.
"Oh, I think it's something he'll remember all his life,” said his sister J’ana Delatorre. “He'll always remember the time he got to go and get a plaque and have his picture taken. I think it's wonderful."
So who does Graham credit?
"My mom … and dad,” he said. “[They taught me] to stand up for what's right."
After all this excitement, Graham’s sister says her brother just might grow up to become a police officer; police say he is already an honorary one.
