Pompano Woman Beaten, Robbed In Home
POMPANO BEACH (CBS4) - An elderly Pompano Beach woman lived through one of her worst nightmares Tuesday after she was beaten and robbed in her own home.
Now she and the Broward Sheriff's Office are asking for help in catching the man responsible.
Pearl Patrinos, 88, said around 10 p.m. she heard a knock on the door of her apartment in the 800 block of NE 33rd Street. When she opened the door to see who it was, Patrinos said a man forced his way inside, punched her in the face and then shoved her into the bedroom.
He then demanded cash. Patrinos said he got really angry when she told him she didn't have any and threatened to kill her. He rifled through her jewelry box, taking several pieces of jewelry and stealing some cash from her purse before running out of the apartment.
Patrinos' daughter Michele Swetnam spoke to CBS4′s Tiffani Helberg and said her mother was badly injured.
"Just hope to God he gets caught," she said. "Just say our prayers. And its a horrible thing that somebody could try to come in and molest an 89-year-old woman. It's unbelievable. You can see where he was hitting her right in the eye in her face. Her whole eye is all bloodshot and swollen."
Her neighbor said she heard when the Patrinos screamed.
"I heard a scream. It was like, one scream," said Wendy Rockley, who was taking care of Patrinos' elderly neighbor at the time of the robbery. "I feel really horrible. I feel horrible for her. I feel bad that I didn't come out in time enough to do anything for her."
Paramedics took Patrinos to North Broward Medical Center where she was treated and released.
But was Patrinos the only target?
A neighbor told CBS4's Gio Benitez that the man was trying to get into any apartment.
"He was ringing my doorbell over and over again," said Elizabeth Alvarado, who lives two doors down.
She told her husband not to answer the door.
"I climbed on my kitchen cabinets and looked through the window. The man ran away," she said.
Alvarado believes the attack on her neighbor happened minutes later.
Anyone with information about this case is urged to call BSO Robbery Det. Mark Copley at (954) 321-4270 or call Broward Crime Stoppers at (954) 493-TIPS (8477).
