As his his family slept peacefully early Sunday morning, one Norwalk, CA homeowner was forced to defend them from a dangerous home intruder.

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Sgt. Rene Garcia said the incident took place around 2:30 a.m. when a home intruder broke into a house in the 14400 block of Graystone Avenue.

A woman inside the residence awoke to noises at the front of the home alerted an armed male to a possible break in and called 9-1-1. But before police could arrive on scene, the homeowner was forced to confront the intruder.

“The suspect proceeded to go to the rear of the residence, where he broke through french doors armed with a knife,” Garcia said.

At that point, a male resident of the home shot the armed intruder in the torso.

“The suspect fled from the scene, however, he was taken into custody about a block away,” Garcia said.

The suspect was apprehended by officials and taken to a hospital, where he was listed in stable condition, Garcia said. His identity was not available pending the booking process.

According to the sergeant, children were also present in the home at the time of the break-in and shooting. Only the suspect was injured in the incident.

The male resident of the home who shot the suspect has not been arrested. Garcia said detectives are continuing to investigate the incident which he confirmed initially appears to be a case of self-defense.