A 27-year-old man was arrested in the death of an 87-year-old man who was attacked Wednesday night in his Garden Grove home.
The moments leading up to the killing of Chuong Pham were captured on a security camera installed by family members inside the residence. Pham’s sons saw a stranger in the living room Wednesday night when they checked the Ring camera, but they didn't think much of the scene at first. Their father was well known at his apartment complex and often walked home with help from neighbors.
"Sometimes, he'd walk a little far, and sometimes people helped him back home because he has a cane," said the man's son, Khan Pham.
Around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Khan Pham and his brother were watching the cameras from work when they noticed a young man with their father for about 30 to 40 minutes. He remained in the living room. Their dad even showed him photos.
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"Suddenly, the camera cut out," Khan said.
When the stranger and their father didn't return from another room, the two brothers raced to their father's home. They found Chuong Pham bound and bleeding with the stranger still inside a bedroom, the brothers said.
Garden Grove Police Department officers soon responded to the home in the 9900 block of Central Avenue. When officers arrived, the man was being restrained by several residents, police said in a press release.
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Pham was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead. Details about a cause of death were not immediately available.
"There was no weapons found at the scene, but during the assault, we don't know if there was additional items, household items that could have been used to strike the victim," Garden Grove police Sgt. Nick Jensen said .
Police arrested Mario Brancato, 26, and booked him into the Orange County Jail. Police described Brancato as a transient, and said there was no previous connection found between the victim and the suspect.
Anyone with information was asked to call Garden Grove police at 714-741-5800.
NBCLA's Jonathan Lloyd contributed to this report.
