Warren Buffett told CNBC's Becky Quick a short time ago by phone that both he and his wife are "fine" after an incident last night at his Omaha home that's being described as an attempted break-in.Â
Mr. Buffett tells us that in recent months he had a security enclosure contructed outside his home for a security guard. He tells Becky he feels very safe in the home he's lived in since 1958. He spoke with Becky about the incident in a light-hearted way and was joking about it today with people in his office.
Becky recounted her conversation in a live report by phone on CNBC's Street Signs with Erin Burnett earlier this afternoon. The video clip of that report appears to the left.
A newspaper report quotes police as saying a man wearing dark clothing and camouflage paint on his face fled the scene after a scuffle with a security guard at Buffett's home. The suspect has not yet been arrested.
The Omaha World-Herald reports:
"According to police, a man rang the doorbell at Buffett's house ... about 10 p.m. Astrid Buffett, Warren Buffett's wife, contacted the security guard, who was outside the house. As the two of them were walking to the front of the house, the guard encountered the man on the front porch.
"Astrid Buffett then went back into the house to call 911, police said.
"The man, who also was wearing a dark stocking cap and a dark baseball cap, pulled what appeared to be a gun, and he and the guard began struggling. The man struck the security guard on the head with an object, police said, but the guard disarmed the man, who then fled, police said. The guard had minor injuries."
Mr. Buffett was also home at the time of the incident.
Despite his great wealth, Mr. Buffett has lived in the same house he purchased in 1958 for just over $30,000. It is often cited as an example of his unpretentious style.
The World-Herald says that in 1987 a 57-year-old man brought a gun into the building where Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway has its offices, as part of an alleged extortion plot.
Police say the suspect in last night's incident is described as "white, 24 to 26 years old, about 5-foot-10 and 150 pounds. He had short hair."
A story on KETV's web site quotes neighbors as saying there have been some "recent break-ins" in the Buffett's neighborhood. The TV station quotes a resident as saying "the Buffett's next-door neighbor had her home broken into in the spring." It also says that "there is a visible security presence" outside the Buffett house today, but "guards won't talk about what happened."
Police ask anyone with information on the incident to call Omaha Crime Stoppers at 402-444-STOP or the Omaha Police Major Crimes Unit at 402-444-5657.
Questions? Comments? Email me at buffettwatch@cnbc.com
