ladbible logo

To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

Woman With Black Belt, 67, Takes Down Home Intruder

Woman With Black Belt, 67, Takes Down Home Intruder

She goes by the nickname 'Lady Ninja'

Jake Massey

Jake Massey

A 67-year-old woman with a black belt in jiu-jitsu took down a home intruder after he broke into a residential complex for elderly people.

On the face of it, Lorenza Marrujo might look like an easy target, standing at 4ft 11ins and weighing just 100lbs. However, her 26 years of martial arts training kicked in on Monday when she heard a man break into her building in Fontana, California, USA.

Lorenza - who told the San Bernadino Sun she prefers to be known as 'Lady Ninja' - picked up a neon baseball bat and told the intruder to 'back off', which he did.

But Lorenza then heard the screams of 81-year-old neighbour Elizabeth McCray, who said the man had broken into her home, grabbed her and shook her, causing her to fall to the floor.

Lorenza wasn't done fighting crime though and she quickly came to the aid of Elizabeth.

Recounting how she took the criminal down, Lorenza told CBS LA: "I squeezed myself between her and him. I put mama [Elizabeth] on the side, and I jumped on him and I was punching him and everything, and I had the cane against his throat.

"He lifted up and tried to twist my hand, but at the same time, I twisted his and turned it around real fast and he was saying, 'You're hurting me, you're hurting me,' and I said, 'I don't care. I don't care what happens to you. You had no right to hurt an elderly person'."

Indeed, Lorenza's bravery and combat skills shocked Elizabeth as much as the home intruder.

Elizabeth couldn't believe the bravery of her neighbour.
CBS LA

Elizabeth said: "I didn't expect that little lady would be that brave. I said, 'Could you be careful, he's gonna kill us.' She said, 'Not tonight'."

Elizabeth was taken to hospital for treatment and released the following day, while 59-year-old Donald Robert Prestwood was arrested on suspicion of elder abuse and was held at West Valley Detention Center on $150,000 (£116,507) bail, pleading not guilty to the charge on Thursday, according to the San Bernadino Sun.

Jennie Venzor, spokesperson for the Fontana Police Department, admitted this was a 'feel-good story', but advised others against taking on home intruders, who could be armed.

She said: "We recommend that you dial 911 for emergency assistance, which, in this case, she did that, and she also jumped in.

"What she told me is that her training kicked in, and it was like a muscle memory. She knew she had to help her friend out."

Featured Image Credit: CBS LA

Topics: Awesome, US News, crime