Police say the trouble began when 51-year-old Drew Stelp went to his sister's home around 2 p.m.
"He showed up at the front door with a bouquet of flowers, knocked on the door, made contact with the maid, pushed his way in and tied the maid up with a dog leash," said Garden Grove Police Lt. Jeff Nightengale.
Stelp's sister was not at home, but when her husband arrived, Stelp allegedly threatened him with a knife.
"Ties up male homeowner, also with a dog leash, starts drinking a lot of alcoholic beverages and taking a boatload of prescription pills that were in the house," said Nightengale.
Police say Stelp told the homeowner and the maid that he planned to kill everybody, including himself. At some point the husband managed to escape.
"He came over here, I guess he got away, he came running to our house saying to call police, jabbering all this about a person with a knife, killing somebody, so it was very scary. And he was very upset," said a neighbor.
Investigators say Stelp stole jewelry from the house and took off in a blue pickup.
According to family members, Stelp was recently released from an Arizona prison. They told authorities he and his sister were having a dispute over an inheritance.
Stelp was captured by police in Newport Beach and hospitalized after a brief pursuit.
"We are not sure if he is going to survive the amount of prescription pills and alcohol that he has ingested," said Nightengale.
If Stelp survives, he could face charges including kidnap, burglary and robbery.
