A reported home invasion in Los Angeles has taken an unexpected turn after authorities began looking into whether the man who said he was beaten and robbed inside a multimillion-dollar mansion may have actually been staying there without permission.
Police were called early Thursday to a residence in the 8500 block of Hedges Way in Hollywood Hills West, where the man told officers that five armed suspects had attacked him and stolen from him.
According to his account, he was house-sitting the two-story property, located above the Sunset Strip, when the group allegedly forced its way inside sometime after midnight.
He also maintained that he had been staying at the home on behalf of the owner, while a realtor sign was posted in the front yard.
But the story soon began to unravel.
After the homeowner saw KTLA’s coverage of the alleged break-in, they asked a friend to go to the property and see what was happening.
When that friend arrived, they reportedly found the same man who had called police still inside the house.
While a news crew was recording outside, the alleged victim approached the camera, recounted his version of the incident, and then abruptly ran down the hill.
“I’m the one that got attacked last night trying to save this house,” the man told the outlet.
Cops later said the man wasn’t house-sitting, wasn’t the homeowner and don’t believe he even lives in the neighborhood.
It remains unclear whether he was arrested or taken into custody.
The actual robbery suspects, meanwhile, allegedly came armed with guns and spent just a few minutes inside the home before making off with a safe and fleeing in a gray or black Jeep, police said.
Surveillance cameras at the property were working and will be reviewed as detectives investigate.
The bizarre case comes just days after another Hollywood Hills burglary scare involving filmmaking legend Quentin Tarantino.
A burglar was reportedly spotted trying to break into Tarantino’s three-story home above Mulholland Drive Wednesday afternoon, according to police.
A gardener at the property reported seeing the suspect, described as a roughly 35-year-old man wearing long black sleeves and black pants.
By the time cops arrived, the alleged burglar had fled. Officers searched the home but found no trace of him.
No property was reported stolen, police told the outlet.
There’s no word yet on whether the two Hollywood Hills incidents are connected.
