A burglary suspect arrested in San Pedro. Christine Kim reports for NBC4 News at 6 p.m. on Jan. 9, 2019.
A San Pedro woman said an intruder broke into her home while her family was gone, but when they arrived, he was still there, hiding on the patio. She saw him run off – but that wasn’t the last time she would see him.
“I ran after him and he stepped up here, and he climbed that way and I saw his face,” Lissett Bonilla said.
The suspect allegedly broke in and stole cash while her family was out.
It wasn’t until after the prowler took off that Bonilla realized money was missing.
He allegedly broke in again later while she and her daughter were getting ready for bed.
“We don’t have the same strength as men. That’s what I’m thinking. What if he was waiting for us?” she said. “So that’s really scary.”
It was the burglary last week that ultimately led the Los Angeles Police Department to arrest 23-year-old Elmer Lopezjimenez, who detectives believe was the same man captured on video trying to break into another home two blocks away last fall.
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A woman who wished to remain anonymous said she was home with her young son when Lopezjimenez allegedly tried to pry open her window and door.
“It was nerve-wracking for us. A lot of sleepless nights,” she said. “This man was not afraid to even get into my window. If it wasn’t for the neighbors getting home that evening, he probably would have got in through the window.”
She says her cameras captured him lingering around her home for weeks, even seen allegedly touching himself inappropriately as he walked past her apartment.
Police say he may have targeted the homes.
The victims were relieved no one was hurt.
Detectives say the suspect’s actions are alarming, and show a pattern of serious criminal behavior.
