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A 10-year-old girl who was watching her two younger brothers gathered them into a closet and quietly called 911 when two intruders began breaking into their Harper Woods, Michigan, home in early March 2012, and police credited her composure with the arrest of both suspects, according to the city's public safety department and a report by WDIV-TV in Detroit.

The three children were home on Country Club Drive after being let out early for a half day of school when they heard someone trying to force a back window, authorities said. Rather than run outside, the girl took her brothers into a closet, dialed 911 and stayed on the line.

Dispatcher Barb Skalba, a veteran of the Harper Woods emergency line, answered the call. Skalba said she could tell from the child's shallow breathing that the threat was real, and she kept the girl talking about school to hold her steady while officers were routed to the address.

Police reached the home within minutes and saw two people running from the house, according to the department. Both were caught after a short foot chase. The suspects, ages 16 and 17, were taken into custody and were scheduled to be arraigned the following week.

Skalba described the girl as the hero of the incident. "She was very brave. She kept calm, took care of the younger children and did very well," the dispatcher said. "She'd obviously been taught how and when to call 911."

No one inside the home was hurt, authorities said. Because the two suspects were juveniles, their names were not released, and their cases were handled in Wayne County's juvenile system, which is not open to the public.