A bungling burglar who got caught in the act felt he had no choice but to call 911 on himself for fear that the homeowner might shoot him.

James Gerow of Springtown, Texas, was surprised to find 41-year-old Christopher Lance Moore inside his home around midnight on Tuesday, but quickly regained his bearings and ran after the 41-year-old with a pistol in hand.

Moore managed to reach his GMA pickup, but Gerow and his stepson successfully prevented him from leaving the scene by swiping his keys and blocking his exit with their car.

"If he gets out of the truck, shoot him in the legs," Gerow reportedly told his son, who was holding a shotgun.

Eventually, Moore decided to dial 911 to ask for assistance. "I'm out in the country somewhere. Some guy's got a gun on me," Moore told the dispatcher. "He's going to come shoot me."

Deputies soon showed up and asked Moore what he was doing inside Gerow's house. "Just unlucky, I guess," replied Moore, who admitted to having "bad intentions."

He was booked on a charge of burglary of a habitation and remains in custody in lieu of a $35,000 bond. Gerow told deputies he was not about to shoot Moore as he recognized that the man "wasn't thinking clearly."

[H/T: The Sideshow Blog, mug shot via Parker County Sheriff's Office]