Grayhm -- known for his roles on the Netflix show "Between" and the movie "White Chicks" -- tells us he was awakened early Tuesday by his dog barking and knew something dangerous was going down ... which he confirmed when he saw cops with guns drawn at the front of his house.

Next thing he knew, the suspect smashed the bedroom window with a shovel in an attempt to get in his house, so he got his wife and dog and fled to safety with the cops out front.

Check it out ... instead of going in, Steven says the guy scaled his home like Spider-Man to get on the roof, where he's seen chucking the shovel like a javelin and shouting threats. Thankfully, he was eventually brought down and arrested before anyone got hurt.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... the man was fleeing police when he came upon Grayhm's home and tried to get in. After he was arrested, he was placed on an involuntary psychiatric hold because he was deemed a threat to himself and others.

Grayhm believes the man is a transient who was on heavy drugs. He says the guy damaged his wife's car, destroyed their backyard, skylights and AC piping on the roof, and all in all ... did more than $5k worth of damage.

BTW ... here's Steven in "White Chicks."