Elderly man killed inside his Garden Grove apartment by homeless man, police say

A homeless man was arrested Wednesday evening after allegedly breaking into a Garden Grove apartment and fatally attacking an 87-year-old resident, according to police. 

Chuong Pham, age 87, died after he was attacked by Mario Brancato, a 26-year-old homeless person, in the 9900 block of Central Avenue, according to the Garden Grove Police Department.

Authorities originally responded to a report of a burglary around 7:30 p.m., but when they arrived at the scene, they found Brancato being held down on the ground by numerous residents who live in the area, police said. The victim, Pham, was found unresponsive in another room. He was taken to a local hospital where he died from his injuries.

Police caught the suspect after Pham's son, who lived with his father, noticed a stranger enter the apartment through footage from his Ring security camera. In the video, he saw the stranger yelling at his father and rummaging around the apartment. The son quickly rushed home, where the suspect was still inside.

Khanh Pham, another son, arrived at the apartment first and said he saw his dad lying in a pool of blood on the floor with his hands tied with an electrical cord.

Khanh said the family did not recognize the suspect.

"That's a question I want to know. Where is this guy coming from? What is he doing here? Why did he kill the old man, who is sick? There's nothing here in the house," he said.

Brancato was arrested and booked at the Orange County Jail.

Anyone with more information is asked to contact Detective Rogers at 714-741-5413 or Garden Grove Police Department Investigations at 714-741-5800.