Two Evanston men were charged after police observed them burglarizing an apartment on the 800 block of Judson Avenue on Wednesday, said Cmdr. Michael Perry of Evanston Police Department.

Christopher Wright, 21, of the 200 block of Custer Avenue, and Jonathan Leman, 23, of the 1100 block of South Boulevard, were each charged with one count of burglary and one count of possession of burglary tools.

A nearby resident called police after seeing the burglars enter the apartment through a rear door, Perry said.

The neighbor could see into the apartment and stayed on the phone until police officers arrived, Perry said. The neighbors kept the police fully informed of the situation, he said.

“When you get (residents involved at a crime scene), it is nice for the person to monitor what is going on until the police get there,” Perry said.

When officers arrived, they surrounded the apartment and secured all exits before entering through a rear door, Perry said.

“They (Wright and Leman) were trapped,” he said.

After a brief struggle, Wright and Leman were detained, Perry said. No one was injured in the struggle.

Items from the apartment later were found in the pocket of one of the men, he said.

“(The officers) did an excellent, professional job,” Perry said.

Perry said police officers rarely are afforded the opportunity to catch criminals in action.

“They can’t deny the fact that they were there,” Perry said. “They can’t say it was somebody else when you caught them in the act.”

Neighbors looking after each other and cooperating with the police help make cases such as this successful, Perry said.

Wright and Leman are scheduled to appear Oct. 22 at Circuit Court in Skokie.