Police seek robbers who invaded home

April 04, 2008

By Carolyn P. Smith

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Police are looking for two unidentified black males who forced their way at gunpoint into the Pennsylvania Avenue home of an 84-year-old man and robbed him of an undisclosed amount of money.

The man was not injured Monday morning when the incident occurred.

East St. Louis Detective Ricky Perry said police were sent to the victim's residence to investigate a report of a burglar-alarm sounding. They arrived to find the resident lying on the floor, unharmed but badly shaken.

He told police he was at home about 9:30 a.m. when he heard a knock at the door. 'He opened the door, and the gunmen forced their way inside and demanded to know where the weapons were in the house,' Perry said.

The man didn't know the suspects and didn't know what they were talking about. Perry said the suspects took several minutes to ransack the man's house before running off with an undisclosed amount of money.

Perry said it is imperative that senior citizens be cautious about opening their doors. 'We want to urge seniors to use caution when answering their doors. People prey on the elderly, so we need them to be especially cautious,' Perry said.

Anyone with any information regarding this crime is urged to call Perry or Detective Orlando Ward at 482-6700 or Crime Stoppers at 866-371-8477. Anonymous calls to the tip lines can result in a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspects.

Contact reporter Carolyn P. Smith at csmith@bnd.com or 239-2503.

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