BALTIMORE (September 15, 2009)—Police in Baltimore say a Johns Hopkins University medical student armed with a samurai sword killed an intruder in his garage.

Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said campus police and an off-duty city officer responding to a call for a suspicious person heard screams to call police around 1:20 a.m. Tuesday.

Guglielmi said the student told the man he found in his garage to leave and the man accosted him.

That's when Guglielmi said the student defended himself, cutting off the man's hand and causing a severe laceration to his upper body.

He said the man died at the scene, but police are not yet releasing his name.

Police are interviewing the student and others and are talking to prosecutors about whether to file charges.