A 79-year-old landlord in Studio City shot a naked intruder after the man forced his way into an apartment and body-slammed the elderly homeowner, breaking his legs. Surveillance footage showed the naked man wandering the neighborhood before entering a unit, and neighbors and police described a chaotic early morning confrontation that ended with the suspect dead and the landlord hospitalized. Authorities say the landlord gave warnings and attempted to defend the women inside before deadly force was used.
The incident unfolded around 7:15 a.m. on Tujunga Avenue when a naked man was seen walking through the block and lingering at a front door before pushing inside an apartment. Two women who were home that morning confronted the intruder, yelling for him to leave and calling for help. Hearing the commotion, the building’s landlord ran to assist and the situation quickly turned violent.
The two women reported the trespasser would not comply and their shouts attracted attention from neighbors, escalating the confrontation. The landlord intervened to protect them and was immediately attacked during the melee. At some point the intruder physically took the landlord to the ground and the elder man suffered severe injuries to his legs.
‘Why is he out here naked?’
The women yelled at the trespasser to get out, prompting the landlord to rush to their aid, the LAPD said.
The intruder body-slammed the landlord, breaking both of the victim’s legs, police said.
The 79-year-old man “at this time, in self-defense, shoots the suspect three times,” said Capt. Warner Castillo of the Los Angeles Police Department.
Officials described the landlord as having warned the suspect and given him an opportunity to stop before shots were fired. “The 79-year-old man tells the suspect to leave, tells him I have a gun, and I will shoot you. The suspect grabs the 79-year-old man, lifts him, throws him on the ground, and that’s where the 79-year-old man suffered two broken legs,” Capt. Warner Castillo said in a statement to reporters. Those observations played into the police assessment that the shooting occurred amid a life-threatening struggle.
The elderly man, identified locally only as George, was transported to a hospital where he underwent surgery for his broken legs. Neighbors told reporters George is a Vietnam veteran, and several people who saw the aftermath described shock and disbelief at a naked person wandering the street. No injuries to the two women in the apartment were reported in initial updates from police.
Castillo also explained that the suspect was shot once but continued to advance toward the injured homeowner, prompting further gunfire. “The suspect got shot one time, and the suspect still approached the 79-year-old [who] shot the suspect again, killing him,” Castillo said, according to the police account. That sequence is central to investigators’ portrayal of the event as a defensive response rather than a planned attack by the landlord.
Authorities have not released the suspect’s name while they complete their investigation and notify next of kin. Neighbors and witnesses have given statements to detectives and officials said the scene was processed for evidence as detectives worked to piece together the full timeline. Local residents continue to talk about how fast a routine morning turned into a dangerous and tragic encounter.
“I heard commotion, like a lady yelling,” a witness who asked not to be named told police. “Then I looked over, and it was a naked guy. At first I thought it was just like, maybe it’s a house fire. Like, why is he out here naked?” The startling image of a nude intruder in a quiet neighborhood has lingered in accounts from those who watched the footage or stood nearby as officers responded.
