Aug 12, 2008 7:21 pm US/Pacific
Home Invasion Robber Hits Santa Monica
SANTA MONICA, Calif.
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An elderly woman was awakened by the sound of an intruder in her home, rummaging through her things.
CBS
Police say a man who robbed an elderly woman in her Santa Monica home may be the same home-invasion robber wanted for a rash of similar crimes on the Westside.
The woman in her 70s was robbed about 2:45 a.m. Friday in the 1200 block of Ashland Avenue, Santa Monica police Sgt. Renaldi Thruston said. The woman said she awoke to the sound of the intruder in her home, rummaging through her house.
The suspect got away with several personal items. It's unclear how the robber got inside, Thruston said.
The woman could only give police a limited description – a black man in a mask and dark clothes. It's unclear if the Ashland Avenue suspect is the same as the one sought in a string of home-invasion robberies dating to late May.
Detectives were trying to determine if the robber committed a similar crime in Santa Monica on July 18 and a series of similar crimes recently in Los Angeles.
"We're looking at all possible avenues," Thruston said. "We have been speaking with the LAPD's robbery division. It's possible that they're all related (but) it's possible that they're all not related."
Law enforcement officers suspect that at least a dozen crimes -- nine home invasions, two attempted burglaries and one burglary -- may have been committed by the same man.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
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