Garfield Heights police car

A Garfield Heights woman chased off two masked men who were trying to break into her car by firing a gunshot into the ground.

(File photo)

GARFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio -- A Garfield Heights woman scared off two masked men who were trying to break into her car by firing a gunshot into the ground.

The 26-year-old woman, who has two small children, caught the men trying to break in to her Chevrolet Malibu about 10:30 p.m. Sunday outside her Tonsing Avenue home, according to a police report.

The woman, who has a permit to carry a concealed weapon, retrieved her handgun after hearing noises outside her window. She looked outside and saw the two masked men standing near her Chevrolet.

One of the men threw a rock through one of the Chevrolet's windows. The woman then fired a shot at the ground outside, which caused one of the men to yell, "damn, come on" before the pair ran away, according to the report.

Garfield Heights police and K-9 units searched the area but were unable to locate the men.

Officers did not charge the woman with discharging a gun within city limits, but the incident was forwarded to a prosecutor for review.