(NECN: Kristen Carosa) - Russell Biglow walks his dog each day in his neighborhood. He said that for him, Lincoln Village has been one of the safest places he has lived.
“I have had no problems around here -- not for me,” Biglow said. “I have lived here for more than five years and I have had no issues since.”
But the typically quiet multi-unit apartment complex in Worcester was disturbed on Thursday.
A man wearing a mask forced his way into the back door of one unit on Country Club Blvd. around 12:15 p.m. According to police, a woman was home at the time of the break-in.
“When she went to inquire about the noise at the back door, the door then opened and there was a male intruder, masked so she wasn't able to identify any characteristics that he might have had,” said Sgt. Kerry Hazelhurst of the Worcester Police Dept.
Hazelhurst said the suspect attacked the woman and she fought back. Police said the woman defending herself caused the suspect to run away.
“The suspect did attack her -- she fought back, she was injured by the suspect, she was taken to the hospital and she is going to be OK,” Hazelhurst said.
Police said it appeared the suspect assumed no one was home before breaking in. They said the woman reacted appropriately in this situation.
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“Because of her quick, swift action, the suspect fled and didn't end up taking anything from her apartment -- he never had the opportunity to do so,” Hazelhurst said.
Biglow said he would have reacted the same way if put in the same situation, but he said that luckily, he hasn't encountered something like this before.
“It's pretty quiet,” Biglow said. “They have security around here. I go to the gym down the street. Feels safe to me, but that's just my opinion.”
