Naked madman breaks Vietnam vet’s legs, but victim ends attack with 3 gunshots
The naked man attempted to break into a house across the street first. Fox
LOS ANGELES — An elderly Vietnam War veteran turned the tables on a naked intruder who broke both of his legs, fatally shooting the attacker in Los Angeles’ Studio City neighborhood, police and witnesses reported.
The incident began Friday morning when the man, described as acting erratically, drove to a suburban block on Tujunga Avenue, stripped down on the sidewalk, and began shouting incoherently. According to police, he then broke into a woman’s home. Security camera footage from a nearby house captured the man wielding a garden sign as he attempted to enter the home while screaming nonsensical words.
The attacker managed to chase the terrified tenant out of the house. Her landlord, a 79-year-old Vietnam War veteran, heard her screams and ran outside to help. “He tells the suspect to leave, he told him, ‘I have a gun, I will shoot you,’” LAPD Capt. Warner Castillo told Fox News.
The naked man then “slammed” the veteran to the ground, fracturing both of his legs, Castillo said. As the attacker advanced, the veteran fired his weapon, witnesses reported.
“I looked over, and the naked guy was on the ground, and the older guy was on the ground, and he shot him two more times,” a neighbor told ABC News.
The veteran was rushed to a hospital, where he underwent successful surgery. “Hopefully he makes it out of here without being in a wheelchair for the rest of his life,” Castillo said.
The incident has left the neighborhood shaken, but many residents have praised the veteran’s actions. “I think it’s a textbook example of self-defense and I really, really hope he does not face charges,” neighbor Betsy Weiss told CBS News.
Any potential charges will be determined by LA County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman.
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