Norwalk homeowner chases homeless would-be burglar with hammer

LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. - What would you do if you woke up in the middle of the night at home, to find an intruder inside the house? 

For Norwalk resident Kevin Perez, it came down to confronting the person, trying to get whatever was stolen back, and then wielding a hammer as he chased the fleeing suspect down the street, catching him, and holding him until authorities arrived.

The dramatic series of events happened overnight Wednesday when the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department arrested 32-year-old Armando Torres on suspicion of burglary.

The bail for Torres, who is believed to be homeless, was set for $50,000 and is expected to appear in court Monday. Arrest records show he does have some priors, including being cited and released back in February, although the offense is not listed in the paperwork we were able to access. 

"We really do discourage people chasing suspects down," LASD Norwalk station's investigator told FOX 11. "We can understand someone being angry enough when finding someone in the house. What if the suspect had a weapon?"

"I get that," responds Perez. "But we work hard for what we have. No one has a right to try to break in and take anything!"

Perez wonders what would have happened if his barking dogs hadn't woken him up.

"Would [the suspect] have ended up in the room, hitting me and God knows-doing-what to my fiancée?" he said.

He echoes neighbors we spoke to, who explain that while their Norwalk neighborhood has been safe for years, but they are tired of seeing more break-ins and crime attributed to the homeless. 

"We know law enforcement is overwhelmed, and there’s this attitude of trying to help people who are living on the streets. But when they commit crimes, who helps us?" says one resident off-camera. 

There is a sense of exasperation with a situation described by many as political correctness they see as going overboard.