PITTSBURG -- An attempted burglary at an apartment turned fatal Tuesday morning after the resident stabbed a man who had broken into his home.

Shortly after 10:20 a.m., a 29-year-old Pittsburg resident noticed a man trying to break into his apartment, which is part of a complex located on the 100 block of Leland Road, according to Pittsburg police.

Police said the resident went into the back of his house to retrieve a firearm and when he returned to the front of the apartment, the suspect had broken through the front door.

The suspect, a 54-year-old Pittsburg man, also had a gun, police said. However, it was later determined that the suspect's "gun" was actually a replica.

The two men then got into a physical fight, police said, before both men lost their weapons.

At one point after losing his firearm, the resident grabbed a knife that was within reach and stabbed the suspect in the back, killing him.

The identity of the burglary suspect is not currently being released by police.

Police did say, however, that the suspect had an extensive criminal history, which included multiple burglaries.

Police also detained two others they believed were assisting the burglary suspect in the crime.

Pittsburg police are currently interviewing the two individuals.

The 29-year-old apartment resident was not injured in the fight, police said, and the two combatants did not know each other.

