Burglar Caught Inside Ransacked Hermosa Beach Home After Scare Involving Children: Police

HERMOSA BEACH, CA — A burglar was arrested early Monday after ransacking a Hermosa Beach home where two young children were sleeping upstairs, according to police.

Police responded at around 2:45 a.m. Monday to reports of a possible home invasion in progress at a residence on Manhattan Avenue. The caller told dispatchers she believed someone had entered the home through a window and was burglarizing the home, according to the Hermosa Beach Police Department.

The reporting parties told officers that her children, ages 3 and 5, were inside the house on the second floor. Officers arrived within two minutes and requested assistance from neighboring agencies. Police from Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach and El Segundo helped establish a perimeter, while a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department helicopter monitored the area from above, police said.

The suspect briefly opened the front door and appeared to attempt to flee before seeing officers outside. The suspect then shut and dead-bolted the door and was seen running upstairs toward the children's room, police said.

Officers immediately forced entry into the home and found the suspect on the second floor, police said. The suspect was taken into custody without incident. The children were found safe and asleep in their room, police said.

Investigators said the home had been ransacked. The suspect was also found with property believed to be connected to other local thefts reported that night. No injuries were reported.

"The wellbeing of those two children was our first priority from the moment we got the call," Hermosa Beach Police Chief Landon Phillips said in a statement. "Our officers responded without hesitation, and their quick thinking and coordination with our neighboring departments led to the quick capture of this dangerous suspect."

The investigation remains ongoing.