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Police believe a robbery and attempted sexual assault in Long Beach Thursday morning is connected to a series of similar crimes at a senior housing complex in the city that also occurred this month.

Police were investigating after a woman was robbed in her home in Long Beach on Feb. 9, 2017. (Credit: KTLA)
Police were investigating after a woman was robbed in her home in Long Beach on Feb. 9, 2017. (Credit: KTLA)

Officers responded to a panic alarm that went off at a home in the 3700 block of Pacific Avenue around 7:25 a.m. and determined a robbery occurred at the location, according to Long Beach Police Department spokeswoman Marlene Arrona.

During the attack, the assailant attempted to sexually assault the 90-year-old woman, according to a press release from the department. The victim fought off her attacker but was transported to a local hospital with injuries that appeared to be non-life threatening.

Friends and neighbors told KTLA the woman is a widow.

Investigators determined that an African-American man rang her doorbell, forced his way into her home, attempted to sexually assault her then fled, officers said.

Police believe the incident is related to a recent series of robberies and a sexual assault at a senior housing facility in the city, according to Arrona.

Between Feb. 2 and Feb. 5, four female victims have reported similar crimes occurring in the same senior housing complex near Atlantic Avenue and Via Carmelitos, Long Beach police said in a news release on Wednesday. The women’s ages range between 63 and 95.

In most of the cases, a man knocked on the door, forced his way into the residence and physically assaulted the victims before stealing items from them, the release stated. The theft included cell phones, purses and cash.

One victim was walking near the complex when she was robbed, according to police.

A person of interest in a series of home robberies and subsequent sexual assault is shown in images released Feb. 8, 2017 (above), and Feb. 9, 2017, by the Long Beach Police Department.
A person of interest in a series of home robberies and subsequent sexual assault is shown in images released Feb. 8, 2017 (above), and Feb. 9, 2017, by the Long Beach Police Department.

In the most recent of those incidents, the robber sexually assaulted the victim, then fled with cash, the release stated. The victim was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.

On Wednesday, police released information about a “person of interest” in the first four cases, a man they described as African-American, 25 to 30 years old, 5-foot-5 to 5-foot-11 inches tall, with a thin build, the release stated. An image of the man taken from a neighborhood surveillance camera was released along with the man’s description.

It was unclear, however, if he was also considered a person of interest in the latest incident.

Thursday’s crime occurred about a 1 1/2 miles away from the senior housing complex.

Anyone with information about any of the robberies can contact Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-8477, or by going to the website www.LACrimeStoppers.org.