A woman awoke in her Manhattan Beach home Thursday night to find a burglar in her bedroom, where she was sleeping with her two children, according to police.
The victim reported to the Manhattan Beach Police Department that a man wearing a ski mask entered her home in the 400 block of Altura Way through a rear sliding glass door. He entered the bedroom and asked her the whereabouts of her husband, money, jewelry and cell phone. He then told her to stay in the bedroom while he searched the house for valuables. She called the police when she heard him exit through the front door.
No weapons were used, and no one was injured, according to MBPD. Officers were unable to locate the suspect, who is described as 6-foot-2 with a thin build. At the time he was wearing a ski mask and knit gloves; the victim was unable to see him clearly in the dark, making the investigation more challenging, Sgt. Paul Ford of MBPD said.
This incident is the latest in the string of home burglaries hitting the community. In another extreme case late August, two burglars held a woman and her father at gunpoint in their Manhattan Beach home in the 1600 block of 5th Street as they ransacked the house.
Sgt. Ford noted that home burglaries have occurred more frequently in the past few months, and the police are combating the rise with an undercover task force and x-ray units, specifically assigned to deter home burglaries.
“We’re seeing more but this is not abnormal to years prior,” he said.
Anyone with information including suspicious persons or vehicles seen in the area Thursday evening should contact MBPD Det. Shawn Thompson at 310-802-5124 or Det. Sgt. Paul Ford at 310-802-5123.
