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High Alert After Rash Of East Dallas Driveway Robberies

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Dallas police are searching for the person or persons responsible for a rash of home robberies. In many cases residents have been victimized in their own driveways.

Police say women usually let their guard down when they reach their driveway. It's easy to get distracted looking for house keys, going through mail, or checking your phone. But right now police say your driveway is also a place where thieves are ready to take advantage.

Searching through trashcans, Joan and her family hoped to find the purse that was stolen from her Tuesday night.

The 60-year-old woman had just arrived home from work. As usual she pulled into her driveway and headed for the mailbox.

"I felt like there was someone almost breathing on me… you know what I mean? So, I turned around this way and that's when he pushed me."

Joan remembered that the man was wearing dark clothes and a ski mask when he grabbed her purse and took off running. Inside the bag were her wallet, cell phone, and keys.

Less than a mile away Daisy Jo was getting out of her car on Friday. "He appeared out of nowhere, brandishing this knife, this long knife… like a carving knife," she recalled, adding that the man told her, " I will kill you. I don't want to, but I will kill you."

Daisy Jo said the man grabbed her purse and then ordered her to lie face down on the ground.

Almost half a dozen women in one east Dallas area have reported similar attacks.

Dallas police, though, say they're not convinced the same person committed all the crimes. They say there have been different victim descriptions and different weapons used. But officials admitted there is one common thread – the targets have all been women in their 'comfort zone.'

"This was my safe haven. This was right in my front door. If you can't be safe at home, where can you be safe?" Daisy Jo asked.

Police arrested a man Tuesday night for allegedly committing a driveway robbery on Walnut Street in north Dallas. Police are still investigating the other incidents, but right now have only connected the suspect to the robbery on Walnut.

(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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