Suspect Captured After Briefly Eluding Police

Police captured a 33-year-old burglary suspect Sunday after he had slipped past officers surrounding a North Hills home and fled across the street to a motel where he was staying, authorities said.

No one was injured in the early morning burglary attempt, said Los Angeles Police Sgt. John Armour.

Kamilo Mahfudh of Van Nuys allegedly broke into the home in the 15300 block of Nordhoff Street at 8:30 a.m. by shattering a front window and unlocking the front door. The noise awoke the two male occupants, Armour said.

While one called for help, the other occupant confronted Mahfudh, an acquaintance who had once been a guest in their home. Mahfudh, armed with one occupant’s rifle, picked up a VCR and fled through the front door, where he was spotted by police, Armour said.

Mahfudh dropped the rifle onto the driveway and ran back inside. Immediately, the two occupants ran out the front door.

Police set up a barricade on Nordhoff between Sepulveda Boulevard and Willis Avenue, Armour said. But before attempting to force their way in, they acted on a tip from the home’s residents and checked the nearby Vacation Inn on the 9000 block of Sepulveda.

Police found Mahfudh hiding in a room he was renting with his girlfriend. He apparently had slipped out of the house and scaled a backyard fence to get there.

Mahfudh, a parolee, was being held without bail at Devonshire Division jail on suspicion of attempted burglary.