Pacoima family wakes up to intruder in home

PACOIMA, Calif. (KABC) -- An 18-year-old Pacoima woman woke up in the middle of the night after an intruder turned the light on in her bedroom early Saturday morning.

The bizarre burglar was caught on a surveillance camera outside Jose Ochoa's home. The suspect is seen canvassing the yard, even measuring himself against their fence and staring down the security camera as the family slept inside.

"This guy is very brazen," Ochoa said. "He's targeting, no matter who it is, any vulnerable place, he's gonna target."

After spending about 10 minutes outside, the suspect enters the house through an unlocked door. Ochoa says he went into his son's bedroom, the 12 and 9 year old boys were sound asleep. The suspect then went into his 18-year-old daughter Linda's room and suddenly turned on the lights.

"He made a surprise noise like, 'Oh,' like he didn't expect me to be awake at all and then after that he shut off the light and then ran off," Linda said.

She didn't want to be identified on camera after the terrifying ordeal, but the brave 18-year-old girl, who suffers from Asperger's syndrome, says she then grabbed a bat and went after the suspect.

"I was calling for my mom, screaming for her, while I was looking around for that guy, seeing if he was still in the house," Linda said.

The suspect runs out to his vehicle and takes off. The Ochoa family says, even though there was money and a number of computers and phones in plain sight, the suspect didn't take a thing, which leads them and police to believe he may have been looking for a potential victim.

The Ochoa family says they are proud of their daughter and are hoping the video will help identify the brazen suspect before someone gets hurt.

"I would not want him to hurt other people or cause harm to other people, especially whatever his motive was," Ochoa said.

Anyone with information on the incident or who recognizes the suspect was urged to call LAPD Foothill Division Detective Munoz at (818) 834-3115.