An 89-year-old woman on Saturday was recovering from multiple injuries as she recounted being beaten by an intruder during a robbery at her home in Burbank.
Gerri Dickinson said she answered when a man knocked at her door about 8:22 p.m. Friday.
“He pushed me aside and I tried to push him the door to get him out but then he pushed the door the other way and knocked me against the wall,” she told KTLA.
She said the robber told her, “I came to get your stuff,” to which she replied, “I don’t have any stuff.”
“And then I started screaming,” she said.
A violent struggle ensued, during which the man grabbed a sheet from a sofa and tied it around her mouth and neck, Dickinson said.
“He says, ‘I’m going to choke you.’ And he kept tying it tighter and tighter,” she said.
The attacker then fled from the house and she summoned help by activating her Life Alert system.
Officers responded to reports of an assault and robbery at the home, according to a news release from the Burbank Police Department. When they arrived the victim was able to speak and talk despite her injuries.
She was transported to a hospital and treated for multiple cuts and bruises.
After being released and returning home, Dickinson was trying to determine whether any of her property was taken during the home invasion.
“She saved her own life — she really did,” said her daughter, Tracey Cawdrey. “She’s tough. She is tough.”
The intruder is described as Hispanic, about 30 years old, about 5 feet 9 inches tall, with a medium build, wearing dark clothing.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Burbank Police Department at 818-238-3000.