A Newport Coast man shot and wounded a home-invasion robbery suspect early Tuesday morning, April 16, police said, with a second alleged intruder dying from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
For update, see: 24-year-old man charged in Newport Coast home invasion
None of the four victims was injured, said Sgt. Steve Oberon, spokesman for the Newport Beach Police Department.
Police received a 911 call around 4:45 a.m. about a home invasion in a gated community on Vista Luci. The caller said a resident fired at one of the suspects, the sergeant said.
The wounded person was shot multiple times. Police found him “armed with a handgun” and lying in the street, according to a news release. He was transported to a hospital.
Officers found the second suspect in bushes near the victim’s home, the release said. “He was found with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head,” it stated. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
At one point, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department SWAT team had been called in.
The crime was not random, Oberon said, but he declined to explain why it was described as targeted, saying it would compromise the investigation.
Details on how the two men got into the house were unclear. The neighborhood of multi-million-dollar homes, not far from the 5-star luxury Resort at Pelican Hill, has a guard at the gate.
Police said there were four people inside the home — a man, two women and a child — when the apparent home invasion took place.
No further information would be released immediately, authorities said late Tuesday afternoon.
“The home invasion, the shooting, the helicopter search, it’s not something we see in this area,” said Newport Coast resident Brad Morrison, 54. “We’re used to the car break-ins, and we do see some burglaries, but nothing like this.”
Newport Beach Mayor Will O’Neill said the outcome of the attempted home invasion should serve as a warning.
“I can tell you right now, if you come into Newport Beach to commit a crime, we will defend ourselves, and today is an example of that,” he said.
Staff writer Mona Darwish and City News Service contributed to this report.
