SPECIAL NOTICE FROM THE DML NEWS APP: The victim in the horrifying report below is a member of TeamDML.com. She contacted us to share this report and let us know she is the person whose home was broken into. Since WFAA did not release her name, we have chosen not to do so as well at this time, for her protection. Read the details below:
From WFAA.com: WHITE SETTLEMENT, Texas — Police have made an arrest after a North Texas woman was cut on her hand when she woke up to a robbery suspect standing over her with a knife to her throat, police said.
The incident happened around 3 a.m. Friday in the 8400 block of Tumbleweed Trail in White Settlement at the Oak Timbers Apartments, where police were called to a report of a home invasion, according to a news release.
The resident, a woman in her late 60s who lives at an apartment community for seniors, reported that a man had entered her apartment and robbed her at knifepoint, police said.
Police arrived and found that woman with serious injuries to her hand that were “consistent with a sharp-blade instrument,” according to the release.
The woman, 68, told police she was sound asleep when she woke up and saw a strange man standing over her, holding a knife to her throat. When she tried to push the knife away, she received a severe cut to her hand.
The man reportedly stole money and other items from her home, then fled the apartment.
White Settlement Police chief Christopher Cook first announced the alarming incident, and described the suspect as “possibly Hispanic, 5’07”-5’09” tall, and stocky build. The suspect used his hooded sweatshirt to cover his face and wore gloves on both hands during this crime.”
The @WSPDTX responded to a home invasion on Friday, November 8, 2024, at 3:24 a.m. in the 8400 block of Tumbleweed Trail at the Oak Timbers Apartment Complex that is designed for active seniors. The @WESTCOMMTX Dispatch Center received an emergency call from a resident who… pic.twitter.com/8v3C9wbexb
— Christopher Cook (@cooktx) November 8, 2024
The suspect was later identified as 21-year-old Francisco Avila. Police were able to identify and arrest him after he made two major mistakes:
#1 – He accidentally left his smartphone near the scene of the crime. A neighbor just happened to see it lying near a fence with the flashlight still on.
#2 – He then came back to the apartment complex later in the day, near where he had broken into the woman’s home, apparently to look for his phone, and was nabbed by the cops.
Police said in a statement: “After detaining the person of interest, investigators obtained a search warrant for an apartment associated with the suspect that had ties to the mobile phone. Once the search warrant was executed, several items of interest were located, including evidence that linked the suspect to the crime and items taken from the victim.
“Additional items and evidence were also located that may be associated with two other felony offenses, unrelated to the early morning crime. More charges are likely as the criminal investigation continues.”
Officials say Avila climbed a fence to get onto the apartment complex. Surveillance footage shows him checking several doors before finally finding one door unlocked and going into the victim’s apartment.
The victim was hospitalized after the attack, but has since been released.
In an email statement to the DMLNewsApp, the victim said, “I’m fine, except I had to have 35 stitches in 3 cuts on my hand. The police have not told us whether he is a citizen or not so I was wondering if there is a place we can look it up.”
After Avila was caught, Chief Cook posted his mugshot, along with more details on social media, and announced, “Avila has been charged with Burglary of a Habitation with Intent to Commit Other Felony (First Degree Felony Offense).”
ARREST MADE IN HOME INVASION!@WSPDTX received a major case development on Friday, November 8, 2024, when a digital smartphone was found near the offense location. While investigators did not initially know if this telephone was related to the case, further investigation… pic.twitter.com/URxjoESnK2
— Christopher Cook (@cooktx) November 8, 2024
The White Settlement Police Department posted the following statement on Facebook:
ICYMI – Great work by WEST COMM 911, Patrol, and Investigative teams on getting this violent offender into custody within hours of the crime. Special thanks to the neighbor who assisted by notifying the responding officers of a mobile phone lying in the grass a few buildings away from the offense location, which allowed detectives to get a major development in the case.
Thank you to the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office for assisting with the crime scene processing. We are grateful that the victim has been released from the hospital and will continue working with the active senior living center on safety and security operations.
White Settlement Police chief Christopher Cook said in another post on X that Avilla is being held at the Tarrant County SO Jail.
WATCH the video reports below for more details on the terrifying case:
Police have made an arrest after a North Texas woman was cut on her hand when she woke up to a robbery suspect standing over her with a knife to her throat, police said. https://t.co/DhzetGHElL
— WFAA (@wfaa) November 9, 2024
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