VIDALIA — A 75-year-old Vidalia resident fought off an intruder Tuesday morning with a moment of unexplainable strength and one shot of a revolver.

LaVerne McPhate had a “long, horrific” Tuesday that began at 6:15 a.m. when three individuals attempted to break into her Roundtree Road house.

One of the three individuals, which McPhate later identified to Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies, knocked her off balance by pushing the door open when McPhate went to see who was outside.

The man, McPhate said, held a knife to her throat and tried to push her back into the house.

“I thought I was going to lose my life,” she said. “He was really putting the force on me trying to push me back, and I just didn’t know what to do.”

Out of nowhere, McPhate said she got a burst of energy and strength and managed to push the intruder away and run to her bedroom.

“I knew if they got in the house they would get me, but I don’t know where I got the strength to push him off,” McPhate said. “He kind of stumbled when I pushed him, and I ran back and got my gun.”

McPhate said she rushed outside and fired one bullet from her revolver into the air, which led to all three individuals running from her house.

“They had not asked me for anything the whole time, so I didn’t even know what they wanted,” McPhate said. “It was a long, horrific day.”

CPSO Investigator Jack Fletcher said all three individuals were arrested Tuesday following a full investigation into the incident.

Hosie Dixon, 22, 431 Roundtree Road, Vidalia, was arrested and charged with attempted armed robbery.

The other two suspects, who are 13- and 16-year-old males, were booked with the same charges as juveniles, and Fletcher said he couldn’t release their names.

Fletcher said the stories of all three suspects didn’t add up and the investigation would continue to find out the role of each individual in the home invasion.

Dixon remained in the Concordia Parish jail Tuesday night with no bond set.