Police: Veteran, 79, kills naked intruder in Studio City

The early-morning confrontation left the intruder dead and the veteran hospitalized with serious leg injuries, authorities said.

LOS ANGELES — A 79-year-old military veteran shot and killed a naked intruder during an attempted burglary early Friday in Studio City, according to Los Angeles police. The struggle unfolded around 7 a.m. near the 4500 block of Tujunga Avenue, where the elderly man confronted the suspect after hearing screams at a neighboring property, police said.

Officials said the shooting happened as the San Fernando Valley neighborhood was starting its morning routine. Two women were inside the targeted home when the intruder forced entry, according to police. The veteran, who lives nearby and is known in the area, went outside to intervene and was injured before firing his handgun. Detectives are still piecing together the exact sequence but said early evidence indicates a violent physical encounter preceded the gunfire. The incident comes amid heightened concern over recent break-ins elsewhere in the Valley, drawing swift attention from patrol officers and homicide investigators.

Neighbors called 911 just after 7 a.m. Friday reporting a disturbance and a man without clothes yelling in the street near Tujunga Avenue and Sarah Street. Responding officers found a man on the ground with gunshot wounds and an older man with serious leg injuries on a driveway. Paramedics pronounced the intruder dead at the scene. The veteran was taken to a hospital in serious condition. Capt. Warner Castillo said witnesses described a brief but forceful fight. “The witnesses said the suspect basically lifted up the 79-year-old and body-slammed him to the ground on the driveway, which is concrete,” Castillo said. Investigators said the veteran then fired, striking the man in the chest and head. A nearby resident who asked not to be identified said he saw the older man and the intruder on the ground just before additional shots were fired.

Police said the intruder’s identity was not immediately released pending family notification. Detectives recovered a handgun at the scene and were reviewing footage from nearby security cameras that earlier captured a naked man walking across the street and yelling moments before the break-in. Investigators said there was no prior relationship between the intruder and the residents inside the home or the veteran who intervened. The women inside the house were not physically hurt, officials said. The property sits southwest of the interchange where the 101, 170 and 134 freeways meet, a dense residential pocket dotted with small apartment buildings and duplexes.

Friday’s case drew attention in part because it followed other high-profile home-intrusion reports in the western San Fernando Valley this week. In one separate incident two days earlier, a resident in Sherman Oaks confronted suspected burglars and fired rounds outside a home, police said at the time. While investigators cautioned that the Studio City shooting appears isolated and involved unusual circumstances, the department said it is comparing timelines and reviewing calls for service in the area to determine whether any patterns exist. The LAPD said uniformed officers and detectives canvassed multiple blocks Friday, seeking doorbell camera video and additional witnesses.

Detectives said the investigative steps now include a formal interview with the hospitalized veteran, a review of ballistic evidence, and autopsy results from the county medical examiner. Homicide investigators will compile their findings for review by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, which will determine whether the shooting falls within self-defense under California law. Police did not announce any arrests tied to the incident and said no outstanding suspects are being sought in connection with the Studio City scene. The district attorney’s review typically follows once coroner and lab reports are complete. Officials did not give a timeline for those reports but said updates would be released when available.

Late Friday, the scene along Tujunga Avenue remained taped off as crime-scene technicians photographed the driveway, walkway and a side gate. Evidence markers lined a stretch of concrete where neighbors said the two men fell. A faint trail of medical supplies and gauze led toward the curb, and a patrol cruiser idled near an apartment security gate across the street. “There was an older guy in the home and the naked guy was walking through their gate and shots were fired,” a neighbor said. “I looked over and the naked guy was on the ground and the older guy was on the ground. And, he shot him two more times.” Residents watched from porches and balconies as investigators went door to door, asking about earlier shouting heard shortly before sunrise.

As of Friday evening, police said they were still working to notify the intruder’s family and confirm his age. The veteran remained hospitalized with two broken legs, according to officials familiar with the investigation. LAPD commanders said they expect to release additional details once detectives complete interviews and review exterior camera video collected from nearby buildings. A case file will be forwarded to prosecutors once the coroner issues a cause and manner of death and crime lab testing is concluded.

Update: Detectives said early findings point to a single suspect and no ongoing threat to the neighborhood. The next expected milestone is the coroner’s identification and autopsy report, followed by the district attorney’s charging decision in the coming days.