A homeowner shot and killed a home invasion suspect in Los Angeles early Saturday morning while a grandmother and toddler were in the house in the fifth such crime reported in the area in the space of 10 days.
Officers were called to a home in the Granada Hills section of the San Fernando Valley, north of Beverly Hills, around 5am on Saturday after someone reported a ‘hot prowl’ – a burglary where the homeowner is present.
‘The officers’ preliminary investigation determined that approximately three to four armed males in their 20s entered the home with the intent to burglarize the location,’ according to LAPD officials.
‘A suspect pointed a weapon at the victim and while the suspects were inside the residence, the victim produced a firearm and a shooting occurred.’
One of the suspects – a man – was hit by gunfire and died at the scene.
The man was taken in for questioning but it is not clear if he has been charged
The name of the deceased burglar has not been released.
The other three suspects fled the scene and have not yet been identified, but police said a ‘trail of blood’ suggested one of them had been injured.
There was also a grandmother and a toddler in the house at the time.
Video from the scene shows the unnamed male homeowner being detained by police during the initial investigation, but it is not known if he has been charged.
LAPD Valley Bureau Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton said that the investigation in ongoing and that it’s up to the District Attorney’s Office if charges will be filed in the case.
‘Anyone inside their residence that is faced with a deadly threat and is perceived as a deadly threat has the right to protect themselves,’ Hamilton said.
Police found what they believe in the suspect’s car, a black BMW sedan as the group fled the vicinity on foot.
Neighbors were alarmed by the incident but told KTLA that they aren’t surprised.
Pat Walsh said: ‘We’ve been having burglaries every day in this neighborhood.
‘So I’m not surprised at all. It’s been a real problem. Residents here are fed up.’
Police were called in the early hours of Saturday morning
Other neighbors were glad the victims were not harmed or killed.
‘The suspects messed with the wrong homeowner,’ one neighbor said.
‘So hopefully this will stop them. It makes me feel good that people are able to protect their homes and stop these guys.’
It follows a spate of ‘dinnertime burglaries’ in the area with burglars breaking into homes when they think residents are out for dinner.
Deputy Chief Hamilton said that the gang who attempted this robbery are likely related to other similar crimes that have occurred in the area.
‘Our Devonshire detectives have been investigating a number of burglaries in this area that have been centered north and south of Rinaldi and we believe this incident is related to that series of crimes,’ Hamilton said.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Los Angeles Police Department.