LAPD: Officers Kill Suspected Burglar Holding Man At Knifepoint

BOYLE HEIGHTS (CBSLA.com) — Police shot and killed a suspected burglar who threatened a man in his 80s with a knife in Boyle Heights, the Los Angeles Police Department said Monday.

It happened about 8:30 p.m. Sunday in an apartment near Mission Road and Gabriel Garcia Marquez Street.

A neighbor who didn't want to reveal her identity said: "I heard a lot of windows breaking, a lot of banging, people yelling. I also witnessed the suspect. He had his knife on his neck and pushed him into another room. I was terrified, scared for the old man. Didn't know what was going to happen to him."

That was when some next-door neighbors, armed with baseball bats and knives, jumped into action and tried to persuade the suspect to let the 83-year-old victim go, according to the witness. "While they were breaking the windows, telling them to leave him alone, let him go. If you want something, may be we can get it for you," she said.

Moments later, police officers arrived and killed the suspect. Coroner's Lt. Larry Dietz described the intruder as a Hispanic man in his mid-to-late 20s.

The victim was not hurt, police said.