A burglary suspect who was holding a hostage at knife-point was shot and killed by police inside a Boyle Heights home Sunday night, authorities said.
LAPD officers arrived at the Pueblo Del Sol town homes after a report of a crime in progress, according to Lt. Alex Baez. Officers looked through a window and could see a man holding the 84-year-old resident at knife-point, according to authorities.
Neighbors had reported the attack, believed to have been a burglary attempt. The victim and suspect did not know each other, investigators said.
Police said some neighbors were ready to come to the resident's defense against the 28-year-old attacker.
"Young folks had gotten baseball bats and some other people had armed themselves with knives and they were going to go into the house," Chief Charlie Beck said.
Once inside the apartment, officers opened fire on the attacker.
The resident was not injured, police said. Authorities said he might have interrupted the burglary in progress, leading to the hostage situation.
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A neighbor told NBC4 the attacker appeared to hold the knife to the man's neck. The witness said police repeatedly ordered the man to drop the weapon before they opened fire.
The attacker died at the scene. He was not identified by Monday night, as coroner's investigators had not yet been able to locate the man's next of kin.
NBC4's Gordon Tokumatsu and Annette Arreola contributed to this report.
