JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville police are still looking for a man who they said tied up a 70-year-old woman in her home and robbed her at gunpoint.
Police said they were called to the woman's home on Autumn River Road South, off Hodges Boulevard and just north of Butler Boulevard, on Tuesday afternoon.
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Officers said the woman had been tied up in her bedroom closet. Police said when they arrived, the woman was outside in the yard and had blood all over her shirt. She had minor bruising on her wrists and ankles.
The woman told police she was outside in the yard and walked inside when a man rang her doorbell. Police said when the woman opened the door to see who it was, the man pulled out a black handgun and stuck it in her neck, then forced his way inside.
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The man tied the woman's hands and feet up with her pantyhose and said, "I'm going to look through the house, and I will be back," according to a police report.
The woman said that after a while, she was able to get her hands free and get a phone and call 911.
Police said the man stole the woman's purse, which contained several credit cards, cash, her check book, driver's license, a gift card, makeup and a set of house keys. They said the man also demanded the woman's PIN numbers for her bank accounts, which she gave him.
The robber is described as a white man between 5 feet 10 inches and 6 feet tall. He had short, straight brown hair, a fair skin complexion, a deep voice and was clean shaven. The man was wearing a blue plaid shirt and blue jeans.
He is wanted on charges of home invasion robbery with a firearm or deadly weapon.
"She would never do anything to hurt anyone," said Chris LaBarge, the victim's grandson. "I am baffled by why anyone would want to target her."
Police dogs and helicopter units searched for the man, but later suspended the search.
Neighbors said the woman may be staying with family members because she was in fear after what happened.
"I'm totally surprised to hear about it. It's usually safe," one neighbor said.
A neighborhood group sent a letter to residents in the area before the home invasion robbery to be on the lookout for people who have recently stolen a golf cart, broken into several cars and vandalized bathrooms. It's unclear if those incidents were related to the home invasion.
If you have any information about the robber's identity or whereabouts, call 911 or Crime Stoppers at 866-845-TIPS.