Man Shot to Death as He Chases Two Burglary Suspects

A Silver Lake man was shot to death early Saturday after arming himself with a baseball bat and trying to ward off two burglars in his apartment building carport, according to police.

Joseph T. Banzali, 18, died on the landing of his Edgecliffe Drive apartment building shortly after 4 a.m., police said. Banzali reportedly was awakened by noises in his carport. Police said he picked up a bat and confronted two men who were burglarizing an automobile. The men fled and, as Banzali chased them, one turned and fired on him, police said.

The two assailants escaped in a white pickup truck driven by a third man, according to police. The truck, reportedly stolen, was abandoned a few blocks away. No one has been arrested in the shooting.