Authorities responded to the 3100 block of Oakdell Lane just after 11 p.m. Sunday. LAPD investigators say Diggs and his wife had just returned home after the SAG Awards when they found 20-year-old Hassan Juma rummaging through their garage. When Juma took off running, Diggs was hot on his heels.
"He did chase him, caught up to him, held him, detained him until our officers arrived on scene," said LAPD Lt. Gus Villanueva.
No one from the Diggs house spoke to Eyewitness News on Monday, but neighbor Alan Marsh says he was shocked to hear of the break-in, and even more shocked to hear that Diggs ran after the suspect.
"If he came into the house I'd probably defend myself, but I wouldn't run after him," said Marsh. "But he's to be commended. He's our hero!"
If the situation sounds familiar, it's because rapper LL Cool J had a similar experience last August when he chased down and caught a man who had broken into his Studio City home while his he and his family were asleep.
That man ended up in the hospital with a broken jaw, nose and ribs. Police say in Diggs' case, nobody was hurt, but they cringe when they hear of people chasing down suspects.
"We're not criticizing Mr. Diggs, we appreciate that he did take action, we are very happy that the suspect was taken into custody and nobody was injured in this incident," said Gus. "But normally we just tell people to be good witnesses."
Juma is being held on $50,000 bail. Police are also looking for the driver of a suspected getaway vehicle that was seen fleeing the area. Anyone with information is asked to call the LAPD at 1-877-LAPD-24-7.
