Man confronts suspects with baseball bat during Sun Valley car break-in, video shows

SUN VALLEY, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A search is underway for the suspects who broke into cars in the Sun Valley area overnight - only to be confronted and chased away by one of the owners.

The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed that two cars were broken into early Monday morning. One of the incidents happened just before 1 a.m. at Beck Avenue and Saticoy Street, and it was captured on surveillance video.

Footage shows two suspects walk up to a car when the vehicle's alarm appears to go off. That's when the owner rushed out from a nearby home and confronted the thieves with a baseball bat.

A ladder and other work tools were taken from inside the vehicle.

The other break-in caught on camera happened about 10 minutes before over on Elkwood Street and Ben Avenue, the department said. In that footage, a car pulls up to a car parked on the street.

"I heard the alarm go off, ran outside with my gun," said the owner of the car, Raymond Rice. "...I couldn't even get out here as quick as they did it. This has happened three times on this block already. People have to start arming themselves. We're going to have to take care of ourselves."

Police say the thieves smashed a window, but nothing was taken from that car.

No injuries were reported. The suspects are described as two men in dark hoodies who got away in a black sedan, possibly a Nissan or Honda Civic.