A man who was caught on video breaking into a Bel Air home and killing two family pets was charged Monday with four felony counts, officials announced.
Paul Kiyan, 34, from the Los Angeles area, faces one count of first-degree residential burglary with a person present, one count of vandalism and two counts of cruelty to an animal, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release. He pleaded not guilty Monday to all counts.
Kiyan is accused of gaining entry on June 17 into a home on Casiano Road, while owner Mat Sabz was inside. Sabz says his wife Monica called and said she saw someone inside their home on the security cameras.
Kiyan, who could be seen on the home’s Ring camera footage walking around the couple’s backyard while naked, entered the home and helped himself to a shower and a pair of shorts.
Sabz confronted him, but Kiyan kept claiming the house was his and saying he would call the police. Sabz then locked himself in the master bedroom and proceeded to jump off the balcony to get outside, and he called police.
Meanwhile, the intruder killed two of the family’s beloved pet birds with his bare hands, Sabz said, adding that he was relieved his children were not home at the time of the incident.
A representative from his home security company arrived and detained Kiyan before handing him over for police to arrest him.
“Pets are part of our extended family and the loss of a pet, let alone two, can be devastating,” District Attorney George Gascón said in a written statement.
Arraignment was scheduled for Monday afternoon, and Kiyan pleaded not guilty. Bail was set at $50,000.
The case remains under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department.