After their house was broken into a few years ago, Christopher Smith taught his son Braydon: “If they come in the door, you let ’em have it.”

He didn’t expect to learn his father’s lesson so quickly.

Braydon was home alone in Mebane, North Carolina, in June of 2019. A 19-year-old man reportedly broke in through a window while he was on the phone with his mom.

The intruder, who was allegedly being helped by two others, came up to Braydon and told him to lock himself in a closet while he tried to steal different things. But the brave boy was determined to protect his home and his family’s things.

In an interview with ABC11, Braydon talks about what happened next in terrifying detail: “He pointed at me with a pellet gun that was in our house. I knew it wasn’t loaded, so when he told me to sit down and go into my closet, I did just that. He went into the living room to get my phone to make sure I didn’t call 9-11 or anything.”

Braydon saw the intruder putting the phone in his pocket. And as soon as the man turned his back, Braydon ran to get his machete (which, normally, he only uses to help his dad ch-op down trees).

Home lntruder Orders Boy Into Closet. He remembers what his dad taught him and instead grabs a machete.