WEST PARK, Fla. (WSVN) — A woman had to be hospitalized after she was pistol-whipped and robbed in the apartment complex she manages.
Eduardo Aguirre, a resident at the complex, said he witnessed the robbery before that crook fired two shots at him. "Something happened in the office," Aguirre said. "When I go in there, I saw the teenager with the gun. I said, 'Hey! What's on the floor?' When I said 'hey,' he went toward the back and do it to me, two times."
Broward Sheriff's Office deputies and members of the department's special response team saturated the area of Northeast Second Avenue and 215th Street at around 12:30 p.m. Monday and surrounded the Crosswinds Apartments. The search for the gunman, however, turned up no suspects. An hour later, police broke down the perimeter and left empty-handed.
Initially, police responded to a call saying the manager of the apartment complex, located at 5525 SW 41st St., was robbed at gunpoint. "The 51-year-old office manager had been pistol whipped by an armed assailant," BSO Fire Rescue spokesperson Mike Jachles said. "The assailant fled with an undetermined amount of cash. He roughed this apartment manager up pretty viciously. She was pistol-whipped nine or ten times about the head with the barrel of the gun."
Josee Ladouceur was transported by Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue to Memorial Regional Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Police set up a perimeter to contain and trap the robber while heavily armed deputies searched within the perimeter. However, they came up empty-handed.
The gunman is described as a young man, approximately 18 to 23 years old, very tall with a slim build. He has short hair and was last seen wearing a blue shirt and black shorts with a white stripe and a bandana covering his face.
If you have any information on this armed robbery, call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward.
(Copyright 2013 by Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)