Off-Duty Officer Shoots, Kills Suspected Burglar in Garage

An off-duty Los Angeles police officer, finding a suspected burglar in his garage, fought with the intruder and shot him to death Monday near Koreatown, authorities said.

The suspect was killed with a gunshot to his forehead fired by Officer Frank Griffen, 31, an 8 1/2-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department, Officer Mike Schwehr said.

At 6:30 a.m., Griffen’s roommate saw a man breaking into a locked car in the security garage of their apartment near 4th Street and Ardmore Avenue, Schwehr said.

The roommate notified Griffen, who took his service revolver to the garage and ordered the suspect to raise his hands. The man dropped a screwdriver, but advanced and struggled with the officer, who dropped his gun, Schwehr said. After fighting for several minutes, Griffen broke free and regained his gun.

“Griffen was exhausted from the altercation and fearing that another altercation would lead to him losing his weapon, he fired one shot, hitting the suspect in the forehead,” Schwehr said.

Griffen was treated for minor cuts and bruises, the spokesman said.