A 78-year-old resident of Hither Green in South London is under arrest for suspicion of murder after two men broke into his home Tuesday night and one of them ended up dead.
The man, who hasn’t been identified, was confronted by the home invaders and one of the men, who was “armed with a screwdriver,” forced him into the kitchen where a struggle ensued, the Independent reports. The fight ended with the burglar being stabbed once in the chest and dying and the victim being arrested.
The dead burglar is only identified as a 38-year-old man. His partner fled the scene and is currently at large.
The Mirror reports, “The homeowner was initially arrested on suspicion of GBH (great bodily harm) while murder cops investigate the fatal incident. He was later further arrested on suspicion of murder.”
A statement from police said, “The 78-year-old resident had found two males inside his address. One suspect went upstairs while the homeowner was forced into the kitchen by the second suspect, armed with a screwdriver. A struggle had ensued in the kitchen during which one of the males found inside the property sustained a stab wound to the upper body.”
The elderly victim, who had bruises on his body from the attack, remains in police custody.
A neighbor stands by the victim, telling the BBC, “I feel terrible for the man that was burgled. He doesn’t deserve to be punished for defending himself.”
According to reports, the area has seen a recent spike in burglaries and other crimes. “We’ve even had to put up CCTV at home because we didn’t feel safe,” the neighbor said.