Burglary suspect hides in elderly couple's closet for 5 hours

PICO RIVERA, Calif. (KABC) -- An elderly couple returning to their Pico Rivera home after lunch ended up finding a burglary suspect who had been hiding in their closet for five hours.

When the couple had returned home, located in the 9400 block of Melita Street, the woman went into her bedroom to take a nap and her husband started watching football in the living room.

"About 5 o'clock, the husband went into his bedroom and found it ransacked and that alarmed him," Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Lt. Alex Villanueva said.

The couple called their children and one of their daughters arrived with her husband. Their son-in-law started searching the home to see if anything was missing.

He ended up finding the suspect hiding in their office closet, who had been hiding since the couple arrived home. The son-in-law kicked the suspect, and he and his father-in-law subdued the man.

Family members comforted the couple outside of their home while the suspect was placed in the back of a sheriff's patrol car.

The 40-year-old suspect faces charges for burglary and possession of narcotics.