Out-of-town couple watches armed burglar in home on surveillance camera
WESTMINSTER, Colo. (KDVR) — A Colorado woman is hoping someone can recognize an armed burglar caught on camera rummaging through her apartment Monday.
The woman, who asked not to be named, said she was out of town when she received an intruder alert on her phone.
“My phone went off with a camera alert that someone was in the apartment,” she said. “I looked at it and I see an armed burglar enter my apartment, gun first.”
The burglar could be seen with his gun drawn as he entered the home.
“I started hitting my partner, like, “Oh, my God, there’s a burglar in our house. He has a gun! He has a gun! Call 911! Call 911!” the renter said.
She said she called 911, but because she and her partner were out of state, it took about 10 minutes to reach Westminster dispatchers. By that time, she said the burglar had stolen dozens of rings, bracelets and necklaces from relatives who have passed away.
“I’ve lost a lot of people, and that’s all I have left of them,” she said. “He stole my loved ones.”
Surveillance video shows the man escaping from a second-story kitchen window just moments before Westminster police officers arrived.
“Looks like he might have gone out the window,” one officer said as he entered the kitchen.
Burglar’s face partially visible in video
The Westminster Police Department confirmed the incident happened but declined to comment since the investigation is ongoing.
The tenant is not sure if the burglar knew she and her partner were out of town, or if he was timing it for when her partner typically leaves for work.
“Was he coming because we were out of town? Or was he coming because that’s when my partner leaves?” she said. “That’s hard to sleep at night with that thought.”
She said the burglar was wearing a large coat and a ski mask, which left a part of his face visible. Westminster Police declined to offer a description of the burglar or release information on whether arrests have been made.
“If he was willing to possibly shoot me and my partner, he’s still out there, and everybody else is in danger, too,” the renter said.
Metro Denver Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $2,000 for information. Anonymous tips can be provided by calling 720-913-7867 (STOP).