5:15pm | The Long Beach Police Department arrested two 17-year-old boys yesterday after an ill-conceived attempt at burglarizing a home in their own neighborhood fell to pieces when one ran away after being surprised by a third youth whom they did not realize was inside, authorities said.

According to information provided by the Long Beach Police Department’s Media Relations Detail, officers responded to a call for service regarding an attempted burglary in the 2000 block of Lime Avenue yesterday at about 10 a.m.

A 14-year-old boy who was at home when the two older teens tried to break in told officers that he initially saw and heard the would-be burglars knocking on his front door, but he did not answer it, authorities said.

Apparently assuming that no one was home, one of the juveniles remained near the front of the residence to act as a lookout while his partner jumped into the backyard and began prying an air conditioning unit out of a window, authorities said.

Unaware that someone was inside, the teen began to climb into the home through the window when suddenly the 14-year-old entered the room and surprised the older teen. Panicked, the juvenile fled the scene, forgetting to inform his partner on the lookout at the front of the home, authorities said.

The 14-year-old boy called police and provided accurate descriptions of both suspects over the phone. When the responding black-and-whites pulled up to the residence, the juvenile lookout was easily spotted still looking out across from the residence.

It didn’t take long for police to apprehend the other teen, who had fled to his nearby residence, authorities said. The pair were arrested and booked on suspicion of residential burglary.

The names of the suspects were not released as per state law, which protects the identities of alleged juvenile offenders.

While the suspects were taken into custody, LBPD is still seeking information about this bungled burglary attempt. Anyone with information is asked to contact the department’s Youth Services Division at 562-570-1426.