LONDON (AP) — British police say a 78-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder for allegedly stabbing a burglar who had broken into his home.

The Metropolitan Police force says the homeowner called to report a burglary at his south London home early Wednesday. The man said he had found two men inside the house, and struggled with one, who was stabbed in the upper body.

Police say the suspected burglar was found collapsed in a road nearby and died later in a hospital.

The homeowner, who suffered bruising to his arms, is being questioned at a police station.

Police and politicians are under pressure to stem a growth in violent crime in London. There have been almost 50 murders so far this year, many of them stabbings involving young people.