Off-duty LAPD officer shoots two burglars who broke into his San Gabriel home, officials say

An off-duty LAPD lieutenant shot two suspected burglars who broke into his San Gabriel home Tuesday morning, leaving one in critical condition, police said.

The lieutenant, who was not identified, was in his kitchen when he shot the two men after they climbed out a window and were in his backyard, investigators said.

The LAPD lieutenant had found the two men inside the residence in the 600 block of Los Olivos Drive about 10:15 a.m. and confronted them, said Lt. Eddie Hernandez of the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department’s homicide bureau. The lieutenant told detectives he was standing near the kitchen window when he saw one of the men, who were in his backyard, reach for his waistband and turn toward him.

“Fearing the suspect had armed himself and was going to seriously hurt or kill the homeowner,” the officer fired, a sheriff’s statement said.

Both men were shot in the upper torso, according to Hernandez.

One remained hospitalized in critical condition Tuesday evening, the other was in stable condition, Hernandez said.

Hernandez said police arrived to find the officer and another person standing in the driveway of the home, where they were providing medical aid to a man who had been shot.

The other suspect who was shot was driven to an area hospital by two possible accomplices, Hernandez said.

All four suspects in the break-in have been arrested, according to a sheriff’s statement. Authorities are still seeking to confirm their identities and ages.

The lieutenant was not injured and has yet to be interviewed by the Sheriff’s Department. It was not clear whether the men knew that a police officer lived at the home.

Det. Meghan Aguilar, an LAPD spokeswoman, described the officer as a 29-year department veteran. Several law enforcement sources said the officer was a lieutenant in the LAPD’s Pacific Division.

San Gabriel police initially responded to the scene mid-morning, but referred the case to the Sheriff’s Department.

For breaking news in California, follow @JamesQueallyLAT and @lacrimes

Times staff writer Veronica Rocha contributed to this report.

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