BURLINGTON, N.C. – A would-be burglar who tried to enter a Burlington home wielding an axe was thwarted by a homeowner armed with a shotgun.

Burlington police responded about 9 a.m. Sunday to the 700 block of Edinburgh Court after receiving a call about a man attempting to break into the home. The man, identified as 29-year-old William Lawrence Cowan, was using the homeowner’s axe on the back door. The homeowner grabbed a shotgun and pointed the barrel at Cowan, who dropped the axe and ran away.

He was arrested without incident about two blocks from the crime scene. Cowan is charged with breaking and entering with the intent to commit felony larceny. He was taken to the Alamance County Detention Center, where he’s being held under a $5,000 bond.

No one was injured in the incident.