Dylan Sprouse tackles home intruder and holds him until police arrive at Hollywood Hills property

Dylan Sprouse, actor and Suite Life of Zack & Cody star, physically tackled and restrained an alleged trespasser at his Hollywood Hills home in the early hours of 17 April 2026, holding the man at gunpoint until LAPD officers arrived, according to law enforcement sources.

TL;DR

• Dylan Sprouse confronted and physically restrained a trespasser at his Hollywood Hills home at around 12:30 AM on 17 April 2026.
• Wife Barbara Palvin called 911; Sprouse held the suspect at gunpoint until LAPD officers arrived and made an arrest.
• The suspect was not charged with trespassing at the couple’s request, but was detained on pre-existing outstanding warrants.
• The couple addressed the incident publicly at The Devil Wears Prada 2 world premiere in New York City on 20 April 2026.

What happened at the Hollywood Hills home

Barbara Palvin, Sprouse’s wife and Victoria’s Secret model, placed the 911 call at approximately 12:30 AM, reporting an attempted burglary at their property, according to TMZ, which first reported the incident.

Sprouse confronted the man outside the home, tackling him to the ground and holding him there while armed, witnesses told law enforcement. Police sources later confirmed to NBC News that Sprouse was carrying a firearm at the time but did not draw it on the suspect.

According to KIRO 7, the suspected intruder never made it inside the property itself. Arriving LAPD officers arrested the man not on trespassing charges — the couple declined to pursue those — but on a series of outstanding warrants unrelated to the incident. The suspect’s identity has not been publicly released by authorities.

Video footage obtained by TMZ from the scene shows a suspect in a Stamptown sweatshirt being handcuffed, with a skateboard visible near the actor’s front gate. Neither Sprouse nor Palvin appears in the clips.

Not the first time: a pattern of unwanted visitors

A source close to the couple told TMZ that this is not the first occasion someone has attempted to enter the pair’s Hollywood Hills home uninvited, adding to the sense of alarm surrounding the incident. Sprouse is described by those close to him as shaken by the experience despite having handled it calmly.

Celebrity home security incidents have made headlines with increasing regularity in recent years. High-profile figures including Sandra Bullock have previously spoken publicly about the psychological toll of confronting intruders on their property — something that BriefLedger has previously covered in the context of celebrity privacy. Sprouse’s case joins a growing list of incidents that highlight the security pressures faced by public figures even in gated communities.

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Couple breaks silence on red carpet

Three days after the incident, Sprouse, 33, and Palvin, 32, appeared together on the red carpet for the world premiere of The Devil Wears Prada 2 at David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center in New York City on 20 April 2026.

Speaking exclusively to E! News, Palvin said the pair were dealing with the experience through humour. Sprouse added that he is not someone who waits before joking about difficult events. “You’ve got to have levity in life,” he said. “Thankfully, no one was hurt and there was no more violence than what happened. So, it’s all OK.”

Sprouse also joked that he had initially planned to respond to news of the incident by posting a video of what he described as his “performative karate” — but said Palvin talked him out of it on the grounds it would be embarrassing.

Who is Dylan Sprouse?

Sprouse rose to fame as a child actor alongside his twin brother Cole Sprouse on Disney Channel’s The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, which ran from 2005 to 2008 and spawned the spinoff The Suite Life on Deck. In adulthood he has taken on more mature film roles, appearing in productions including After We Collided and Beautiful Disaster. He and Palvin married in 2023.

For more on the Sprouse brothers and their entertainment careers, see BriefLedger’s related coverage: Percy Jackson star Walker Scobell skips prom after fan threats and Marvel brings Avengers: Endgame back with new footage.