Tyler police investigate sexual assault at apartment complex

TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - Tyler police are searching for a man they say robbed and sexually assaulted a woman after breaking into her apartment.

It's every person’s worst nightmare.

“She had come off her balcony and saw that her door into the apartment was ajar, she went over and shut it, she turned back around, and there was a male subject in her apartment,” Tyler Police officer Don Martin says.

Police say at 10:00 a.m. on a Wednesday morning the woman was held at gunpoint in her own home.

The woman told police the suspect demanded money and when she denied having any cash on her, “it turned into a sexual assault,” Martin says.

She then told officials that after the hooded man allegedly raped her, he took off with her wallet.

She immediately called Tanglewood Place management and warned them of what happened.

“So that if they saw someone yesterday matching a description that she gave, he was hanging out, outside the apartment, outside the apartments, out in the roadway, maybe walking down the street, got into a car,” Martin says.

Police say the suspect is described as a young black male, slim build, with dark colored clothing.

He may have taken off towards one of the three apartment complexes that are adjacent to each other on Chimney Rock Road.

“Of course, he ran away on foot, but did he run into another apartment? There are several complexes in that area,” Martin says.

Officer Martin says this is the only sexual assault reported in this area within the past month.

Tyler police want to make sure all residents are aware of their surroundings and to stay cautious when walking alone. Keeping doors locked is also a good idea.

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