'Armed, desperate, would-be cop killers' break into home after shooting at deputies. But homeowner fights them 'hand-to-hand' — and makes one 'bloody.'

It was quite the night for Anthony Cardenas.

The bearded, rather imposing fellow found himself face to face around 3 a.m. Thursday with a pair of armed and dangerous crooks who broke into his San Antonio, Texas, home on the run from sheriff's deputies they had just been shooting at, KSAT-TV reported.

What are the details?

The two suspects allegedly had been breaking into cars and then began firing at a pair of Bexar County sheriff's deputies who were called to the scene, the station said.

The armed suspects then hoofed it and eventually broke into and ran through Cardenas' home in the Amber Creek subdivision near Highway 90 and Loop 1604 — and grabbed his vehicle keys, KSAT said.

"They came in, they got the keys, and basically ... I'm assuming they were looking for a getaway car," Cardenas told the station.

Image source: KSAT-TV video screenshot

The suspects got into Cardenas' vehicle, KSAT said — but he wasn't about to let them get away with it.

"I pulled the door open, and we got into a fight inside the truck," Cardenas added to the station. "And we went from the driver's side to the passenger's side. We both fell out."

Cardenas noted to KSAT that the suspects continued running and took his vehicle keys with them.

Deputies soon caught up with the suspects and took them into custody, the station said, but Sheriff Javier Salazar gave props to Cardenas, too.

'A bit bloody'

"That homeowner put up quite a fight and, in fact, caused quite a bit of injury to one of the suspects, who is a bit bloody," Salazar noted during his press conference about the scary incident.

Image source: KSAT-TV video screenshot

The sheriff added that Cardenas "did a really good job at going hand-to-hand with these dangerous suspects ... and so kudos to him for taking that stand and protecting his home."

Salazar also said he was "proud of that homeowner" for "making sure that that suspect's not going to forget breaking into that house any time soon."

What are the earlier details?

The sheriff told KSAT that after the two deputies arrived on Baffin Peak to answer the call about car burglaries, one of the deputies stepped out of his patrol vehicle and was met with gunfire.

"I'm told the only reason that suspect stopped firing is because his weapon ran out of ammo," Salazar said, adding that two bullets struck the deputy's vehicle. "He ran it dry in an effort to try to kill this deputy."

Image source: Bexar County Sheriff's Office

The second suspect fired shots at the other deputy who was chasing him, the station said, and one of the bullets hit a parked car.

Image source: KSAT-TV video screenshot

Neither deputy was hurt, KSAT reported.

Calling them "especially violent people" and "armed, desperate, would-be cop killers," Salazar said the suspects tried to hide but that one of the deputies spotted a "pair of feet" behind a parked car.

The suspects were arrested shortly after their battle with homeowner Cardenas, and Salazar said the suspects' weapons were recovered.

Image source: KSAT-TV video screenshot

While the sheriff said neither suspect was being cooperative and telling authorities their identities, Salazar said they are in their late teens or early 20s and that "I'm gonna bet my next 10 paychecks that they've got a criminal record."

Both suspects face numerous charges, including attempted capital murder, KSAT said.

"It's just luck, it's just by God's grace that we're not talking about two dead deputies," Salazar added during his press conference, noting the the deputies also exercised serious restraint in nabbing the suspects and "didn't have to fire a single shot."

Homeowner left suspected 'would-be cop killers' bloodied, Bexar County sheriff saysyoutu.be

This story has been updated.