diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/kubelet.go b/pkg/kubelet/kubelet.go
index 5059613b708..df847e99f95 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/kubelet.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/kubelet.go
@@ -1463,8 +1463,9 @@ func (kl *Kubelet) syncPod(o syncPodOptions) error {
 		// exists or the pod is running for the first time
 		podKilled := false
 		if !pcm.Exists(pod) && !firstSync {
-			kl.killPod(pod, nil, podStatus, nil)
-			podKilled = true
+			if err := kl.killPod(pod, nil, podStatus, nil); err == nil {
+				podKilled = true
+			}
 		}
 		// Create and Update pod's Cgroups
 		// Don't create cgroups for run once pod if it was killed above
diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/kubelet_pods.go b/pkg/kubelet/kubelet_pods.go
index 556d7a47e94..bf74e410594 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/kubelet_pods.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/kubelet_pods.go
@@ -645,6 +645,8 @@ func (kl *Kubelet) killPod(pod *v1.Pod, runningPod *kubecontainer.Pod, status *k
 		p = *runningPod
 	} else if status != nil {
 		p = kubecontainer.ConvertPodStatusToRunningPod(kl.GetRuntime().Type(), status)
+	} else {
+		return fmt.Errorf("one of the two arguments must be non-nil: runningPod, status")
 	}
 
 	// cache the pod cgroup Name for reducing the cpu resource limits of the pod cgroup once the pod is killed