Armed robbery suspect hides out in wrong backyard

TEMPE, Ariz. (KSAZ) -- A Tempe couple came face to face with an armed robbery suspect Monday.

The man was hiding out by the couple's back yard, and it turned into a struggle. The homeowners managed to wrestle the man to the ground, and hold him until the police arrive.

"OK, we just came back to our house and our entire cul-de-sac is full of cops. There is a manhunt in our park next to our house," said Mark Carpenter, talking on a phone video he made, as officers were searching for a man with a knife who had robbed a nearby convenience store.

"So we went in the house walked around the house a little bit and it did not feel right," said Carpenter. "I grabbed a knife -- I don't have a gun, go to back yard and check it out."

That's where Carpenter came face-to-face with a man hiding next to his backyard gate.

"I had the knife, so I put my hand against him. He yelled profanities at me," said Carpenter. "Luckily, he's a little smaller than me, so he reached for me, the knife was in his backpack, which was on the ground."

Carpenter, a former high school football player, held down the man while his fiancee, Arloa Knowles, searched for a police officer to help.

"I just ran out the front door, kept running and he came over and I was like, 'over there!'" said Knowles.

Soon, Tempe Police had the suspect, identified as 28-year-old Emilio Bustamante, under arrest.