A Los Angeles-area homeowner fatally stabbed a suspected thief trying to steal a catalytic converter Friday morning. 

The killing occurred in South El Monte, California, just before 3 a.m. at a home in the 11200 block of Thienes Avenue, FOX 11 Los Angeles reported. 

ALLEGED MASSACHUSETTS CATALYTIC CONVERTOR THIEVES FAST AS A 'NASCAR PIT CREW'

The homeowner told Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies he was sleeping when he heard a group of men talking in his driveway. He grabbed a kitchen knife and confronted four people allegedly stealing a catalytic converter from his vehicle parked in the driveway.

At some point, one of the suspects was stabbed by the homeowner. The other suspects fled the scene in a compact vehicle, authorities said. 

Thefts of catalytic converters have swept American cities in recent years. A report from CarFax estimates that 153,000 of the emissions control devices were stolen in 2022, based on repair records.

Many thieves target the vehicle part because of the valuable metals used in their construction, including platinum, palladium and rhodium.