Police investigating deadly attack at Montebello apartment complex as murder-suicide

MONTEBELLO, Calif. (KABC) -- Police are investigating an attack at an apartment complex in Montebello that left two people dead as a murder-suicide.

It happened around 2:30 a.m. Thursday along Lohart Avenue.

When officers got to the scene, they found a man dead in the back parking lot. Police are calling him the suspect.

Another man - identified only as an 18-year-old - was found dead inside an apartment.

The incident may have involved a hatchet, which was found feet away from the suspect.

Police said they also found a woman and a young girl suffering from severe head injuries. They both remain hospitalized in what was described as "extremely critical condition."

Police said the suspect and the victims are related and that it appears to be a domestic violence case.

"There are no outstanding suspects, and there is no danger to the community," said police in a statement. "Montebello Police Department Detectives are investigating this crime, and the investigation is ongoing."

Neighbors believe the victims and suspect are a family of four who lived there.

Police are waiting for the coroner to officially identify the victims.

Neighbors say they heard a terrifying noise echo through the neighborhood in the middle the night.

Nathalie Perez was still awake after 2 a.m. when strange and startling noises were coming from an apartment complex across the street from her home.

She said she heard screaming before the noise faded. She later called police to report what she heard.

One neighbor told Eyewitness News she woke up to lights and sirens and saw a person's body lying on the ground when she looked out from her second-floor apartment.

"I have no idea what happened down there. Our street is pretty quiet ... it's kind of scary," said a woman named Susan.

Anyone with information is urged to contact police.