From Facebook:
(and again, what is with these black punks--male and female--tossing their head back, chin-up, looking disdainfully down their flaring nose with half-closed eyes when they are caught on camera attacking or about to attack?)
11-YEAR-OLD BOY FOUGHT BACK AGAINST A HOME INTRUDER WITH A MACHETE: POLICE SAID THE 19-YEAR-OLD SUSPECT BROKE INTO HIS NORTH CAROLINA HOME, POINTED A PELLET GUN AT HIM, AND FORCED HIM INTO A CLOSET. THE BOY ESCAPED, GRABBED A MACHETE, AND STRUCK THE INTRUDER, WHO FLED BLEEDING AND WAS LATER CAPTURED AFTER A TWO-DAY MANHUNT.
On the morning of June 14, 2019, 11-year-old Braydon Smith was home in Mebane, North Carolina, when authorities said a group of intruders targeted his family's house.
According to investigators, a woman first approached the front door while 19-year-old Jataveon Dashawn Hall entered the home through a window.
Braydon, who was reportedly on the phone with his mother, hid in his bedroom. Hall eventually found him and allegedly pointed a pellet gun at the child before ordering him into a closet.
When Hall turned his attention to stealing a television and PlayStation, Braydon saw an opportunity to defend himself.
The 11-year-old grabbed a machete kept in his bedroom and struck the intruder in the back of the head.
A violent struggle followed.
Hall reportedly kicked Braydon in the stomach, knocking him onto a couch. Braydon got back up and swung the machete again but missed. Hall then allegedly kicked the boy in the head before returning to the stolen electronics.
But Hall soon realized he was bleeding heavily.
He dropped the electronics and fled the home, escaping in a vehicle where accomplices were reportedly waiting.
Authorities immediately alerted area hospitals to watch for anyone seeking treatment for a serious head injury. Hall later appeared at a hospital, but after reportedly realizing authorities had been contacted, he fled wearing only a hospital gown and socks.
His escape triggered a two-day manhunt.
On June 16, 2019, authorities captured Hall in Burlington after receiving a tip.
Despite the terrifying encounter, Braydon survived the attack and appeared determined not to let it define the rest of his day. The 11-year-old was an avid baseball player, and after facing an armed intruder inside his own home, fighting back, and watching the wounded suspect flee, his mind reportedly turned to something remarkably ordinary: his scheduled baseball game.
Braydon reportedly wanted to retrieve his baseball uniform so he could still play that day. The detail stunned many who heard his story. Just hours earlier, he had been hiding from an intruder who allegedly pointed a pellet gun at him and forced him into a closet. Yet after surviving the ordeal, the young athlete was already thinking about getting back to the sport he loved.
His reaction offered a striking glimpse into the resilience of an 11-year-old who had just experienced something no child should have to face. After fighting for his safety inside his own home, Braydon was ready to pick up a baseball bat and get back to being a kid.
THE CASE OUTCOME
Hall was prosecuted for the home invasion and assault and was ultimately sentenced in January 2020 to 67 to 93 months in prison, roughly 5½ to 7¾ years, according to the case information provided.
Braydon was not charged for defending himself during the home invasion.
The case against Hall was resolved with his conviction and sentence, although the other alleged participants were not publicly identified in the information provided.
What began as a terrifying home invasion ended with an outcome the intruder likely never expected:
He entered a home occupied by an 11-year-old boy.
The boy fought back.
The wounded intruder fled, escaped from a hospital, was captured after a two-day manhunt, and ultimately went to prison.