New Orleans, LA – A man caught a burglar in his garage and, with his 72-year-old mother’s help, pummeled the intruder, sending him to the hospital, authorities said Thursday. “The mother joined in the fight and actually got the best of the suspect,” said Col. John Fortunato, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office spokesman.
The home invasion happened Wednesday about 6:20 a.m. in the 1000 block of Cleary Avenue, near West Metairie Avenue. The 48-year-old man who lives in the house told deputies he entered the garage to put on his shoes before leaving for work only to discover a man wearing gloves and carrying a pry bar. They began to struggle, and at some point the man’s mother heard the fighting and called the Sheriff’s Office, Fortunato said.
When deputies arrived, the 72-year-old woman had minor cuts, but the two men “were bleeding profusely,” Fortunato said. The intruder was identified as Troy Derosa, 30, whose last known address was 209 Robin Hood Drive, Covington. He spent the day in the hospital and later was booked with aggravated burglary, attempted murder and simple battery. Bond was set at $750,500.
In 2003, Derosa booked with three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder in a high-profile execution-style shooting in a Metairie apartment. At trial, a jury acquitted him of all charges.
The reason for Wednesday’s break-in remained a mystery, Fortunato said. “Detectives have yet to be able to establish a motive in this incident.”
