Baltimore Homeowner and Ex-Cop Fights Off Intruder With Hammer After Wife Finds Stranger Hiding Inside

A Baltimore homeowner grabbed a hammer and fought a stranger who had entered his house late Friday night. The man was badly hurt, but the homeowner says things could have ended much worse.

Anthony Mills, 59, was home with his wife, Kim, when their dog began barking near the stairs. Kim went to check on the noise and found a strange man crouching inside their Morrell Park home.

Mills, a retired police officer, rushed downstairs to confront him. Unable to see the stranger’s hands, he reached for a nearby hammer. The two men soon found themselves in a fight that spilled onto the front porch, where neighbors rushed over to help.

Baltimore police arrived at the home on Washington Boulevard around 11:29 p.m. on November 6. They found Mills holding the man down outside. The stranger was taken to a hospital with serious injuries.

A Warning Heard From Upstairs

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According to FOX45 Baltimore, Kim had just returned from an evening with friends. After entering through the back door, she briefly stepped outside again to get something from her car.

Once she was back inside, the couple’s dog, Scooter, began barking near the staircase. Kim walked partway downstairs to investigate.

“I came halfway down when I realized that he was just crouching there,” she told FOX45.

She hurried back to the bedroom to alert her husband. Mills went downstairs and ordered the stranger to show his hands, but he couldn’t tell whether the man was holding a weapon.

“I wanted to see the gentleman’s hands to see if he may have had a weapon of some sort and I couldn’t get to his hands,” Mills said.

With a hammer within reach on the steps, Mills picked it up and struck the stranger. His years in law enforcement shaped how he reacted.

“I think my training kicked in, that’s why I wanted to see his hands,” he explained.

The Fight Moves Outside

The confrontation turned into a struggle as both men moved toward the front door. They eventually ended up outside, where Mills shouted for help while his wife called 911.

Neighbors heard the commotion and came running. One man stepped into the yard and took the hammer away, while others helped the couple.

During the fight, the stranger began apologizing, according to Mills.

“Near the end, while we were outside, he started to say that he was sorry,” Mills told FOX45. “He’s like, ‘I’m sorry, I am sorry.'”

Police dispatch audio described the man as having been struck in the head with a small hammer. The struggle left blood on the couple’s front door, porch, and floor.

How Did He Enter?

Mills believes the stranger got into the house through the back door. He said it had been secured with a bar running from the doorknob to the floor, but that bar had been pushed out of place.

When he checked outside, the back gate was also open. The homeowner did not know why the man had entered the property.

The break-in left Kim shaken. Anthony, meanwhile, praised the neighbors who rushed over when they heard him calling for help.

“This neighborhood stood together last night and took care of each other,” he said.

Mills has deep ties to Morrell Park, where his parents lived for decades. Despite the frightening encounter, he described the area as a good community and said the break-in was unusual.

A Trip to the Hospital

Baltimore police said the unidentified man suffered serious injuries and was taken to an area hospital for treatment. Officers planned to take him to Central Booking after his release.

At the time of the initial reports, police had not released his name or announced specific charges. A later court or custody update has not been confirmed.

Mills wants the stranger to face jail time.

“I just want to see something done to let people know you can’t go in somebody’s house and expect to walk out scot-free,” he told FOX45.