Los Angeles police shot and killed an armed man suspected of breaking into a Sunland home Monday after he repeatedly exchanged fire with officers during an hours-long standoff.

Officers fatally shot the man about 2:45 p.m. after he was forced out of the home by tear gas and opened fire on police, LAPD Det. Meghan Aguilar said.

The shooting ended a tense standoff that began at 9 a.m. when a homeowner reported a burglar in her kitchen, Aguilar said.

The residents of the home were able to escape through a back window, but when officers arrived at the home in the 11300 block of Alethea Drive, the burglar refused to come out, she said.


The body of a man suspected of breaking into Sunland home is covered in a sheet after police killed him. (KTLA)

SWAT officers responded to the scene after the homeowner warned that the burglar might be able to access multiple firearms inside the home.

Starting about 1 p.m., the man emerged from the home several times firing a gun, and officers returned fire each time, Aguilar said.

Police evacuated surrounding homes while a SWAT negotiator using a bullhorn tried to persuade the man to surrender.


Then about 2:45 p.m., SWAT officers fired tear gas into the home from an armored vehicle, forcing the man to flee through the back of the house.

That’s when police fired again, killing him, and he rolled down a hill into a ravine.

The man, whose identity has not been released, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said they were still gathering information on weapons he used during the altercation.


No officers, residents or bystanders were reported injured.

tony.barboza@latimes.com

@tonybarboza