HOUSTON – When a man was coming home from night classes, he heard footsteps behind him as he walked up the stairs to his apartment. Surveillance video shows another man run up with a gun and point it at the victim's head.
"He knows at that point, somebody's coming up the stairs that, obviously, is going to attack or harm him," Houston Police Department robbery investigator Kim Miller said.
The victim's personal surveillance camera mounted on his front door captured what happened next as the robber told the 34-year-old victim to look away as he forced the man to the ground and demanded his wallet.
"I think he watched my victim walk up the stairs and he knew. It looked like he premeditated the whole thing, and he was just waiting for someone to come home late," Miller said.
It happened on Oct. 14 at 10300 Wilcrest in southwest Houston. Police believe the robber is between 23 and 27 years old. Police said there were a couple of things that could help find him, including tattoos on his arm.
"Through the whole incident, he's smoking a cigarette. And also, his face isn't covered. This is fairly good surveillance video of him," said Miller.
She said the video was recorded with a small, inexpensive camera that police hoped would lead to the arrest of the attacker.
"They're very small. I really don't think that this suspect knew that he was being video recorded. It's a great tool for us to be able to catch people," Miller said.
If anyone recognizes the suspect, please call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS. You can remain anonymous and could earn a $5,000 cash reward.