A 27-year-old man suspected of entering another man’s apartment in Valley Village through a skylight in an adjacent vacant unit and killing him during an altercation was located Thursday in a hospital by Los Angeles police.
Van Nuys Division patrol officers responded to the 12600 block of Riverside Drive, between Whitsett and Coldwater Canyon avenues, on April 26 at around 2:30 p.m. regarding a welfare check, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
The department stated that officers discovered a lone male victim inside his apartment suffering from unknown injuries.
Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics responded to the location to render life-saving measures to the victim, but despite their efforts, pronounced him dead at the scene.
“Further investigation revealed that the suspect accessed the victim’s residence by entering through a skylight in an adjacent vacant apartment and traversing the balconies,” the LAPD said in a statement.
Operations-Valley Bureau homicide detectives assumed the investigation and identified Erick Escamilla as the person of interest.
Escamilla was described as a 5-foot-6-inch-tall Hispanic man weighing 170 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.
FBI task force investigators, along with Valley Bureau homicide detectives, located Escamilla Thursday at a hospital where he is receiving medical treatment, police said.
Anyone with information regarding the killing was urged to call Valley Bureau homicide detectives at 818-374-9550. Calls during non-business hours should be made to 877-527-3247. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or visit lacrimestoppers.org.