Intruder in Beverly Hills home stabbed, arrested

A 23-year-old man was arrested Thursday after being stabbed by a private security guard during a struggle after he broke into a Beverly Hills home, police said.

Nicholas Marino of Newport Beach was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, “where he was in stable condition and will ultimately be transported down to the county medical unit” of the jail, Beverly Hills Police Lt. Mitch McCann said. Marino, who faces charges of burglary, criminal threats and stalking, is being held in lieu of $150,000 bail.

The confrontation occurred about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday in the 1100 block of Tower Road, a stretch of Beverly Hills real estate marked by expansive houses, many of them gated. Police said the security guard confronted Marino after he broke into the house, and stabbed him in the torso during the ensuing struggle.

The guard detained Marino until officers arrived, authorities said. Police would not comment on whether the knife belonged to Marino or the security guard.

Police also would not reveal the name of the people who live in the home, but it was reported on the celebrity news website TMZ.com that the house belonged to Gunnar Peterson, a personal fitness trainer with an A-list celebrity clientele, and his wife, Janet Crown Peterson, a member of the Crown family of Chicago -- one of the world’s wealthiest families and among Chicago’s biggest philanthropists. According to property records, the Petersons have a home on Tower Road.

“Unfortunately we can’t confirm or deny that,” said McCann, when asked if the Petersons’ house was the target. He added that someone other than the security guard was in the home at the time of the break-in.

McCann did confirm that the unnamed victims had sought a restraining order against the suspect.

The Petersons have spent much of the last year seeking a legal separation, according to court papers, and that is still pending. TMZ.com reported that Janet Crown Peterson, 43, had had a relationship with Marino but had broken it off. The Petersons, according to the website, have three children.

Gunnar Peterson, 44, who has appeared frequently on TV shows as a fitness expert, has trained Jennifer Lopez and Nick Lachey, among other celebrities. He developed and sells a workout program called “Core Secrets.” But among other fitness trainers, Peterson is best-known for having installed a state-of-the-art gym in the 7,400-square-foot Beverly Hills house.

Janet Crown Peterson is one of seven children of businessman Lester Crown, whose family built an estimated $4-billion empire over the last century in Chicago. The Crowns have a huge stake in defense contractor General Dynamics, as well as other holdings in manufacturing and real estate. They also own the Aspen Skiing Co. resort in Colorado.

carla.hall@latimes.com