Johnny Lewis has been found dead outside a Los Angeles home along with an elderly woman.

The American actor - who is famed for his roles in Sons of Anarchy and The O.C. - and an 81-year-old woman identified as Catherine Davis were found deceased by the Los Angeles Police Department.

According to various reports, the woman was heard screaming outside her house by residents in a Los Feliz neighbourhood. Her body was reportedly discovered in the driveway, while Johnny was found near a wall.

LAPD Commander Andrew Smith has revealed some details surrounding the deaths - with 28-year-old Johnny suspected of beating the woman to death.

"He appeared to have died from some type of fall, either from the stairway, or from the balcony, or from one of the roofs," he told ABC News affiliate KABC.

"The best we're piecing together now is that it appears that some type of altercation occurred inside of the house resulting in the death of the woman. Then this individual ran outside, had an altercation with a couple of neighbours, ran back into the house and by the time we got here, he had fallen or had somehow died on the driveway."

A neighbour and a handyman are also believed to have been beaten.

These other two causalities allegedly stemmed from a "confrontation they had with the suspect".

According to website TMZ, Johnny "may have been renting a room from the homeowner".

Johnny, who also had roles in Bones and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, previously dated Katy Perry.