Police say a Plano woman came home to a burglary in progress last week.
It happened in the 8100 block of Sutherland Lane, near Russell Creek Park.
According to police, it happened at about 11:30 a.m. The woman was confronted by the burglar, a possibly Hispanic or Middle Eastern man wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, and was forced to hand over jewelry and cash.
The man then forced her into a closet until he left.
“This lady went through a very terrifying experience, but she did the right thing,” said Plano Police Spokesman Officer David Tilley, who says a person’s first instinct should be to flee the situation, but, if that is impossible, comply with the burglar’s demands.
However, while the crime fits a similar profile to other incidents Tilley says have been reported in other cities like Richardson and Southlake, all with Asian victims, he says it is early to determine if these crimes show the reemergence of an organized ring of criminals, known to target Indian, Chinese and Middle Eastern households.
“We haven’t had any of those reported lately, so one of our biggest concerns is, is this possibly going to be related to that?” Tilley added.
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Plano neighbor and realtor Jamuna Thill says one crime is enough to stir up worry in the community.
“I’m not surprised when I hear people’s homes are being broken into. Lives are at risk again,” she said, adding that she warns all of her clients as how not to make themselves easy targets to thieves.
“They’re looking for a certain type of thing that identifies a certain demographic. We’re just making it easy for them to find us.”
The suspect in the Plano burglary is described as five-feet, six-inches to five-feet, eight-inches tall, weighing approximately 150 to 180 pounds with a medium build.
The homeowner was not hurt in the burglary and subsequent robbery.
