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Off-Duty LAPD Officer Shoots 2 Burglars Breaking Into His San Gabriel Home

SAN GABRIEL (CBSLA.com) — An off-duty Los Angeles police lieutenant shot two burglars, he said, tried to break into his San Gabriel home Tuesday.

According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, two young men broke into the officer's house in the 600 block of Los Olivos Drive through the kitchen window around 10:15 a.m.

The officer confronted the intruders. As they tried to get away, one of them reached for his waistband. That was when the officer opened fire, investigators said.

One suspect was shot in the leg and ended up in the driveway.

Dr. William Loskota, a neighbor, heard the homeowner yelling for help and called 911. "I thought it was something crashing. I went outside. Joe was there. I thought he was shot. He was down with the person he'd shot in his driveway. He had his gun in his hand. The guy was down," Loskota said.

The retired anesthesiologist said the suspect on the ground was crying and told him he was 17 years old and had been shot in the stomach.

Investigators said the second burglar was hit in the stomach and leg. He hopped into a getaway car with two more suspects. All three were all arrested at a hospital.

Police said the homeowner is a 29-year veteran of the LAPD. He currently works at the Pacific Division.

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