A Vietnam veteran remains in a Los Angeles area hospital after a naked intruder body-slammed and broke both of the veteran’s legs before the victim gunned down the attacker.
George Karkoc said Friday’s deadly confrontation with the assailant, whose identity hasn’t been shared by authorities, started when the suspect ran into two Studio City apartments that each belonged to female tenants.
Police said security camera footage showed that moments earlier, a man in his 30s parked his car, ripped off his clothing and began wandering around the street while rambling in Spanish.
Mr. Karkoc said he heard screams coming from the home of one of the women soon afterward and sprang into action.
“I just thought, ‘I need to get aggressive,’ so I ran into the house and got my gun,” the 79-year-old told KTLA.
The woman was able to get away from the madman, and that’s when Mr. Karkoc came face-to-face with the intruder.
The veteran said he tried to de-escalate the situation, but the man charged at Mr. Karkoc and threw him to the ground.
The victim’s family said Mr. Karkoc fractured his ankles and hip in the attack.
The assailant then jumped on top of the wounded veteran, which is when Mr. Karkoc said he had to fire the fatal bullets.
“I pressed the gun against him and I fired,” he told KABC-TV. “Fired three times and the last shot … I made sure I was going to kill him.”
Police said the attacker died at the scene. Investigators believe he was either in a drug-induced craze or was experiencing a mental health episode.
Emergency personnel rushed Mr. Karkoc to a hospital in critical condition. The victim has since been upgraded to stable condition, but he expects to be bedridden for some time as he continues his recovery.
His family set up a GoFundMe page to help cover Mr. Karkoc’s medical bills, as well as to help the two women targeted by the intruder. Some of the money will also go toward caregiving duties for Mr. Karkoc’s wife, who suffers from late-stage Parkinson’s disease, since the veteran cannot be there to help her.
Mr. Karkoc said Los Angeles Police Department officers who responded to the attack plan to visit him Tuesday, Veterans Day, to thank him for his military service and commend his bravery when confronting the intruder.
Despite his condition, the veteran took comfort in knowing he acted heroically.
“This incident, although horrible, brought me a great feeling that I was able to do something to protect other people,” he said.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.
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