Keep in mind that if police don't know you're the homeowner and acting in a lawful fashion, you might get shot. So if you're going to hold a home invader at gunpoint while waiting for the police it's best to make sure they know who's who.

This happened in Phoenix:

In their complaint in Maricopa County Court, Anthony and Lesley Arambula say an armed intruder "crashed through the front window" of their home on Sept. 17, 2008 and ran into one of their son's bedrooms.

Anthony, worried about his son who was still in his bedroom, says he "held the intruder calmly at gunpoint" and called 911.

Phoenix Police officers already in the neighborhood heard the crash of the Arambulas' window. When they approached the house, Lesley says, she told Sgt. Sean Coutts that her husband was inside holding the intruder at gunpoint. Lesley says Coutts failed to pass on that information to the two other officers.

Inside the house, the Arambulas say, Officer Brian Lilly shot Anthony six times in the back while he was still on the phone with the 911 operator - twice when he was on the ground.

Police officers get scared, too.

[Family Says 911 Tape Caught Cops Planning Cover-Up After Shooting - Courthouse News Service]