Police are investigating the latest in a series of home invasion robberies that have targeted elderly women in the West Los Angeles area and left many residents nervous.
The most recent crime occurred about 4 p.m. Tuesday, when a 96-year-old woman was approached from behind by a man near her home in the 2500 block of Westwood Boulevard, police said.
The assailant overpowered the victim and forced her into her residence, which he ransacked before fleeing with the woman's property, police said. The woman was treated at a local hospital for bruises and released the same day.
The attack was the 12th such home invasion robbery in the West Los Angeles area since late May, but it was the first to take place in the afternoon, police said. The other assaults have all occurred in the early morning.
"It hurts me that this man continues to prey on some of the most helpless people in our society," said Deputy Chief Terry Hara, commanding officer of the LAPD's West Bureau. "We're putting additional resources on this case."
The series of attacks has worried residents of the normally quiet area. Some are closely following the news, updating security systems and locking windows at night.
Brandon Behrstock, 42, says he was already focused on security before the attacks, having installed bars on some windows of his house.
With a home invasion robber on the loose, he has upgraded locks and goes around shutting windows at night and ensuring that outdoor lights stay on.
"I am totally concerned," he said. "I upgraded a few things that I thought weren't totally secure."
Lynette Padwa, 53, a nonfiction book writer, said she was awakened two weeks ago by circling helicopters after one of the attacks. She said the sound is unusual in her relatively crime-free neighborhood.
"It gets a little paranoid," she said. "I'm closing every single window, because that's how they come in. I'm being nervous and worried and wondering when they're going to catch these guys and why it's taking so long."
Ana Aguirre, an LAPD spokeswoman, said the assailant typically is unarmed and targets one-story structures. In most of the incidents, he has entered through an unlocked window or by jimmying a lock on a window or door.
Although the victims primarily have been elderly women, there is no indication of a specific pattern to the man's actions, he said.
