Holly MatkinLas Vegas, NV – Bodycam footage captured the moment when Las Vegas Metro police fatally shot a burglary suspect as he was attacking an elderly homeowner with a hammer earlier this month (video below).
The terrifying incident occurred in the 5100-block of Spanish Heights Drive – one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in the valley – at approximately 1:20 a.m. on Dec. 8, KLAS reported.
Officers responded to the gated community after receiving a report of a burglary in progress, according to Las Vegas Metro Police Department (LVMPD) Captain Sasha Larkin.
Bodycam footage showed one of the officers looking for the suspect outside the sprawling residence.
“There is a dude inside…the suspect is actually inside the house,” he said a second later, as he began running towards the double front doors of the home.
The officer frantically knocked on the door and told the homeowner on the other side of the frosted glass to let him in, the video showed.
“Open the door! Hurry up – open the door!” he said.
But as soon as the door swung open, the suspect raised a hammer above his head and began chasing one of the elderly homeowners, the video showed.
“No! F—k! No!” the officer yelled repeatedly as the attacker closed in on his victim. “Stop! Stop! Stop!”
Officers fired at least two rounds at the armed suspect, the video showed.
The home intruder, later identified as 40-year-old Nathaniel Sironen, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to TMZ.
The homeowners, ages 73 and 76, told police the suspect had broken into their house armed with the hammer and ordered them to hand over their car keys and cash, according to police.
Sironen also allegedly told the woman she was “coming with him” at one point, TMZ reported.
LVMPD Assistant Sheriff Brett Zimmerman said Sironen is also suspected of having broken into another resident’s shed, as well as a nearby home that was still under construction, according to the Las Vegas Sun.
Sironen’s prior criminal history includes a pattern of theft, possession of stolen property, and destruction of property offenses, Assistant Sheriff Zimmerman said.
Both officers involved in the incident have been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, as per protocol.
Watch the incident unfold in the video below. Warning – Graphic Content and Obscene Language:
Sandy Malone
