A witness told Magistrates' Court how he chased and captured a teen charged with attempting to break into his home.

Tahj Robinson, 17, retained his not guilty plea on Thursday when he appeared before Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner charged with an attempted burglary on November 12.

Warwick resident Lorenzo Wayne Lottimore, of Rocklands Road, said he and his brother Sergio were playing FIFA video games when they saw someone acting suspiciously outside their house.

The brothers hid in separate bedrooms and listened as someone knocked on their door, then allegedly tried to enter their home through a kitchen window and door.

They armed themselves with a machete and pruning saw and tried to keep track of the suspect's movements outside the house.

According to Mr Lottimore's testimony, they lost sight of the suspect for a few moments and then saw him again walking down their drive way.

“I was still trying to get the door opened. When I got it opened I went outside and jumped over the rail. My brother was still in the house.

“I jumped over the rail on the patio and I heard the sound of bushes (rustling). I was running towards the back of the house at this point. I looked down in the neighbours yard and saw the same person.”

Mr Lottimore said he and his brother approached the suspect from different directions in an effort to “corner” him.

He said: “I was on my neighbours property continuing to look for the person. I thought he had run away. I looked to my left and saw the person standing there.”

“I was moving towards him. He started bobbing and weaving and I had on my (house) slippers.”

A struggle ensued and the brothers eventually apprehended the suspect until police arrived.

Yesterday during cross examination by Mr Robinson's lawyer Larry Mussenden, Mr Lottimore said he had tried to get in touch with the teen's parents after the incident.

“I actually did try to contact his mother after the day of the incident when we restrained him. We told him we would try and go see him because I was concerned about what was going on with him.

“I didn't want to see him go through the whole judicial process after having been through it myself recently and (was hoping) there was a way some type of change could have been led about in his life.”

Mr Lottimore could not answer whether he told people he had seen Mr Robinson in the neighbourhood after the incident.

The trial will continue this afternoon and Mr Robinson was remanded in custody until then.