2 home invasions targeting Halifax seniors this week worry police
The Canadian Press | Posted: December 22, 2016 8:28 PM | Last Updated: December 22, 2016
43-year-old man arrested after Wednesday robbery; police probing link to similar attack a day earlier
A man has been arrested after a second woman in her 80s was robbed in Halifax, one day after another home invasion left a senior battered and bruised.
Halifax police, who are exploring whether the two incidents are related, are expressing concern about random attacks on seniors.
In the first case, 85-year-old Jeanette MacDonald said she was confronted by two young men Tuesday night, punched in the face and dragged from her Halifax home.
The following night, in a nearby neighbourhood, a man entered an 86-year-old woman's apartment bedroom and demanded money.
A 43-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with the second robbery.
Masked man demands cash
"Incidents like this are not common," said Const. Dianne Penfound. "Most home invasions are not random acts."
Police said a masked man somehow entered an apartment building on Leppert Street just before 11 p.m. on Wednesday and found his way to the woman's apartment and bedroom where he demanded money.
The woman complied, providing a sum of cash.
Police said they responded quickly, tracking the suspect to the nearby Mumford bus terminal near the Halifax Shopping Centre. He was arrested just after midnight on Gottingen Street.
Fear for 'vulnerable' seniors
Penfound said police are concerned about violence directed at seniors.
"It's very upsetting with respect to vulnerable members of our community," she said. "That person did nothing wrong and was in the comfort of her own home."
Pushed to the floor
MacDonald said in an interview she was sitting on a recliner in her home, a flannel blanket tucked around her legs, when she heard a bang on the door.
She said she opened the door to find two young men demanding money.
The woman, who uses a walker to get around, said she was pushed to the floor, then dragged from her home and forced to the pavement.
She started screaming and the robbers fled as neighbours came outside to investigate.
MacDonald is recovering from two black eyes, bruises on her left hand and chest, and swollen ankles and knees.