A wild twist in a LA home invasion as the man who claimed he was beaten and robbed inside a multimillion-dollar mansion may have actually been a squatter.
Cops responded early Thursday to a home in the 8500 block of Hedges Way in the Hollywood Hills West after a man told them five armed men had attacked and robbed him.
The man claimed he was house-sitting the two-story home, perched just above the Sunset Strip, when the suspects stormed in after midnight.
He also claimed he was staying there for the homeowner, with a realtor sign sitting in the front yard.
But things quickly got weird.
The homeowner saw KTLA’s report about the alleged home invasion and sent a friend to check on the property.
The friend arrived to find the man who had reported the robbery still inside the house.
As a news crew filmed outside, the alleged victim walked up to the camera, described what he said had happened — then took off down the hill.
“I’m the one that got attacked last night trying to save this house,” the man told the outlet.
Cops later said the man wasn’t house-sitting, wasn’t the homeowner and don’t believe he even lives in the neighborhood.
It remains unclear whether he was arrested or taken into custody.
The actual robbery suspects, meanwhile, allegedly came armed with guns and spent just a few minutes inside the home before making off with a safe and fleeing in a gray or black Jeep, police said.
Surveillance cameras at the property were working and will be reviewed as detectives investigate.
The bizarre case comes just days after another Hollywood Hills burglary scare involving filmmaking legend Quentin Tarantino.
A burglar was reportedly spotted trying to break into Tarantino’s three-story home above Mulholland Drive Wednesday afternoon, according to police.
A gardener at the property reported seeing the suspect, described as a roughly 35-year-old man wearing long black sleeves and black pants.
By the time cops arrived, the alleged burglar had fled. Officers searched the home but found no trace of him.
No property was reported stolen, police told the outlet.
There’s no word yet on whether the two Hollywood Hills incidents are connected.
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