Phoenix Police Search For Home Intruder They Said Had Gun And Hammer

PHOENIX, AZ —Phoenix police continue to search for a male suspect who witnesses said broke into a Phoenix home Monday masked and armed with a gun and hammer.

Police said the alleged intruder entered a residence near 15th Avenue and Behrend Drive at around 7:30 a.m.

A female resident of the home told 12 News that she and another woman were inside the house at the time of the alleged crime, and that they saw the suspect. The pair eventually escaped to a neighbor's house to call the police.

The resident told 12 News that the suspect did not take anything before exiting the home.

"When officers arrived they learned an adult female victim was inside her home when an adult male unexpectedly entered the home armed with a firearm and a hammer," PPD spokesperson Sergeant Philip Krynsky told Patch. "The victim was able to get away and called the police. A search of the home was completed, but the suspect was not found."

The homeowner told 12 News that she was folding laundry inside the home when the alleged break-in occurred.

The woman said her daughter-in-law was near the back door when she saw the suspect's hand push through a partly open door and then enter the residence.

The suspect then put a gun to the daughter-in-law's head, asked for her cellphone and broke the device. The suspect eventually moved around the house, the homeowner told 12 News.

The daughter-in-law yelled to the homeowner, who said she ran to the kitchen and saw the suspect pointing a gun at the other woman, according to the homeowner's account of the crime.

The two women eventually saw an opportunity to escape, and they ran to a neighbor's house and alerted authorities, according to the homeowner.

The homeowner told 12 News that the encounter with the suspect lasted about five minutes.

The PPD said anyone with information about the suspect is asked to call police or Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS.