Elderly Couple Attacked During Home Break-In In Slavic Village

CLEVELAND — An older couple was brutally attacked when a man broke into their house on Friday, Cleveland Police said. The suspect pointed a knife at the couple after hitting one of them repeatedly with a pole.

The break-in happened on E. 65th street, in Slavic Village, at about 10:15 p.m. Officers arrived on the scene and found the two victims. Both were reportedly "very scared," according to police.

The 64-year-old woman said she noticed the motion sensor lights on her garage had come on, which is not normal. She then heard a noise outside that sounded like something breaking. She got up to check it out and found the side door to her house was open and the light bulb on her porch had been unscrewed.

When she reinserted the light bulb, and the light flicked on, she saw a man standing near her. She screamed for him to get away and started to back into her house. The woman grabbed a white wooden pole, about 18 inches long, that she kept near her door, and started trying to hit the man.

As the woman inched into her house, the suspect still marching forward, the woman's husband came up behind her. The suspect then pushed the two elderly people into the house, knocking them over.

The suspect grabbed the pole and started beating the man. The woman screamed for him to stop, begging that the man had a heart condition and the attack could kill him. She offered to give the attacker anything he wanted.

The woman went throughout the house, gathering what little cash she had on-hand (about $60), and handed it over. The suspect threatened to come back if the couple spoke to the police.

The suspect was a black man, standing between 5 feet 6 inches and 5 feet 8 inches, according to police. He was in mid-20s or early 30s. He was wearing a black hoodie and black pants, but did not wear gloves.

Anyone with information on the suspect is asked to call Cleveland Police.

This break-in happens less than a week after a 94-year-old woman was killed in another Slavic Village home invasion. Someone broke into a home on Gertrude Avenue and assaulted two women, killing the older of the pair.

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Photo from Renee Schiavone, Patch