LARGO, Fla. — Police arrested a man accused of breaking into two homes Tuesday morning before being shot.
Jeffrey Smith, 22, faces two counts of burglary to an occupied dwelling, according to a Largo Police Department news release.
The department says its officers responded to a call for help just before 6:30 a.m. in the area of 120th Avenue North and 144th Street. Smith allegedly forced his way through the front door of a home as a person inside opened it.
Once in the house, he scared the person by "acting in an erratic and paranoid state," police said. It was at this time the person ran outside to get help.
Police say Smith followed and kicked the door of another house, but he wasn't able to get inside. Eventually, the person got to safety at a neighbor's home.
But Smith ran up to the front door and got himself inside, the department said in its release. Police say Smith was shot during the ordeal, but it remains unclear who fired a weapon.
Smith was taken to the hospital, where he's listed as being in critical condition. It's believed alcohol and or drugs are factors in the case, police said.
The department did not release the identities of the two neighbors involved.