Criminals are attacking older residents inside their homes, with at least four attacks on people above the age of 80 in recent weeks, Fort Worth police say.
An 83-year-old woman and 58-year-old woman were home in the 5200 block of Dunbar Street when they said about 10 African-American men knocked on their door. The women opened the door and the suspects entered without permission, assaulted the victims and took a purse and a television.
Police said the suspects were juveniles.
In a separate incident, 85-year-old Dudley Griffin told NBC 5 three men entered his house on Strong Avenue on two separate occasions within a two-week time period, robbed him and assaulted him.
"They just want to take advantage of the old people that they can handle, you know," said Griffin.
Another incident involved a resident on Emerald Lake Drive. The victim told police she woke up after hearing a noise in her garage. When she looked into the garage from her utility room, she found an unknown male armed with an unknown weapon. She locked the door to the garage and ran out of the front door, and the suspect told her he wanted money prior to her leaving the residence.
A police spokesperson says crimes against older residents are becoming more common, and they warn everyone to always lock their doors and windows and to not open the door to anyone who isn't familiar to them.
