Playground supervisors at Spiritridge Elementary School helped foil a burglary at a nearby home when they promptly reported men trying to get in through a back door.

Police Chief Linda Pillo applauded the women's vigilance, an example of the partnership between police and residents that helps keep the city's crime rate low.

"The people who live and work in Bellevue are our eyes and ears in the community," Chief Pillo noted. "Citizens taking action can help us protect them."

The two supervisors (who asked not to be identified) were watching children on the playground during 11 a.m. recess Tuesday when one noticed a man in the backyard of a home that borders the playground. He appeared to be trying to get into the house through doors off the ground floor and second-floor deck. Her coworker agreed the behavior was suspicious and immediately called police.

Bellevue Traffic and Patrol officers responded immediately. The first officer to arrive found a man in front of the home in a car with a damaged ignition. 

The second officer on the scene found a man lying in the grass behind the house. He had apparently jumped from a second-story deck when police arrived and broke his ankle.

Inside the house, officers found drawers opened and property strewn about. A large television had been moved and staged near the garage for quick removal. Several items had been packed into a duffel bag. All of the property was recovered at the scene.

The injured suspect, a 29-year-old Edmonds man, was taken to Overlake Medical Center. The other, a 27-year-old Lynnwood man, was booked into King County Jail for investigation of burglary.

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