Mid-City home invaders rough up elderly woman, steal cash

MID-CITY, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Two robbers roughed up an elderly Mid-City woman and stole cash in a terrifying home invasion Monday night.

The woman bit one of the invaders, but that just made him angry and he assaulted her, smashing her face before they threw her into a closet and kicked her in the back.

The victim, who is in her 70s, described the ordeal to Eyewitness News. She said she was asleep around 11 p.m. when she was awakened by a noise and noticed a light that was likely a flashlight. There were two men in the house.

"I saw a light. As I turned over, I said, who are you?" she recalled.

One of the men grabbed her by the throat.

"I said wait a minute, I can't breathe. He said 'You scream again, I'm a kill you.'"

"And I bit him. And that's when he really smashed my face down."

The two men threw her into a closet and kicked her in the back, she said. She pretended to faint and stayed in the closet until she didn't hear any more noise.

She checked the house and found cash had been stolen.

The women has lived in the home on Stearns Drive for more than 30 years. She said she has an alarm system, but it wasn't on that night.

Neighbors say there have been several home invasions in the area recently. Police are investigating to see if they are connected.