Chet Hanks Punches Alleged Burglar at His Home

Chet Hanks must defend his house, and he'll do it with his bare fists, as a man who was allegedly trying to get into Chet's place found out the hard way ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... before authorities arrived early Monday morning, Tom Hanks' son punched the 42-year-old suspect after finding him attempting to break in around 3:00 AM. When L.A. County Sheriff's deputies got on scene they tried to slap cuffs on the man, but he kept fighting.

Eventually, they subdued him enough to get cuffs on him ... but while leading him to the car, the guy fell backward onto one of the deputies, who ended up with a broken leg!!!

Both men had to be taken to a hospital for treatment. Once he was medically cleared, the suspect was booked for burglary. As for Chet ... at least physically, he was unscathed.