A man accused of destroying planters outside a Sherman Oaks apartment complex escalated into breaking into a resident's unit and attacking her with a candlestick holder, before leaping from a second-floor window and getting apprehended by neighbors who held him until police arrived. The man was arrested Tuesday following the chaotic scene on the 4900 block of Coldwater Canyon Avenue, according to the LAPD.
Police were called to the property after callers reported a man damaging planters at the complex, according to NBC Los Angeles. Officers said the man then broke into an apartment and used a candlestick holder to attack a woman living there. The woman hid from her attacker as the confrontation unfolded, and the man ultimately jumped from a second-floor window.
That is when neighbors intervened, apprehending the man and holding him until officers arrived on scene, per the outlet's reporting. Police said the suspect appeared to be under the influence of narcotics and was transported to a hospital before his expected arrest on suspicion of felony burglary and vandalism. The station's report does not indicate the extent of the woman's injuries.
What the Law Says About Breaking Into an Occupied Home
Under California law, entering an inhabited apartment or residence with intent to commit theft or a felony is charged as first-degree residential burglary, a felony carrying up to six years in state prison and $10,000 in fines, according to the Shouse Law Group. The Monder Law Group describes first-degree residential burglary as a strike offense under California's Three Strikes Law, according to the Monder Law Group.
California law defines assault with a deadly weapon by specific elements, and the offense can be charged as a wobbler punishable by up to four years in county jail, per the Law Offices of J. Patrick Carey.
The Legal Risk Neighbors Took by Stepping In
California Penal Code Section 837 allows a private citizen to make an arrest when a felony has actually occurred and there is reasonable cause to believe the person arrested committed it, according to Cron, Israels & Stark.
Still, citizen intervention carries real risk. Private citizens can face civil lawsuits or even criminal charges such as battery or false imprisonment if they use excessive force during a detention, according to Cron, Israels & Stark. Citizen arrests require reasonable force, so neighbors who intervene in situations like this one can face liability if they use excessive force.
A Pattern of Break-Ins Along the Same Corridor
This is not the first alarming break-in reported near this stretch of Coldwater Canyon. Hoodline previously covered a home invasion in the area in which residents took refuge in a bedroom and called 911 while suspects ransacked their home, with LAPD investigating potential ties to other regional home invasions at the time.
