Police arrested an 18-year-old man early this morning following two confrontational home invasions on the 400 block of S. 47th St. and the 500 block of S. 48th.

Police say a woman awoke at a home on the 400 block of S. 47th at about 3 a.m. after she heard someone walking in the hallway. She told police that a young male, who broke in through the front door, entered her bedroom and demanded money. The man fled the home with the victim’s iPhone. She was able to track the phone to an area near 48th and Larchwood using a phone tracking app, according to a police report.

About 20 minutes later a man on the 500 block of S. 48th Street awoke to a young man slapping him in the face, demanding money and threatening to shoot him. The victim and suspect went down to the first floor of the home where the victim took out his phone and attempted to call police, according to the police report. The suspect grabbed his phone and broke it. The victim then grabbed his work phone and tried to call, but the suspect broke that phone as well. The victim gave the suspect cash and the suspect ordered him to return to the second floor. When the victim refused the suspect began swinging a ladder at him before fleeing the home. The victim sustained minor injuries in this confrontation, police said.

Police apprehended the man near the home. They said that no weapon was found when the suspect was caught.

Police have not released the name of the young man, who lives on the 4800 block of Walton St. They say he may be involved in a recent string of armed robberies in the area as well.

Police have issued a crime alert in the Cedar Park area following a string of robberies and attempted robberies over the weekend. In all three cases reported below, a sawed off shotgun or imitation of a gun was used.

The first incident happened on the 800 block of S. 48th Street, around 11:20 p.m. on Saturday, when a 28-year-old man was approached on the street by a young male, who pointed a sawed off shotgun at the victim and demanded money. The victim told police that he did not believe the gun was real and started screaming, according to a police report. The attacker didn’t take anything and fled on foot toward Baltimore Avenue.

The other two incidents took place on Sunday. A 26-year-old man was robbed and pistol-whipped near 47th and Hazel around 8:15 p.m. by two males, one of whom pressed a sawed off firearm into the victim’s chest, according to police. The males took the victim’s iPhone and wallet. The man was also hit in the head with the firearm after he said he didn’t have anything else and sustained a cut to his ear.  Continue Reading

Police are searching for the person or people who slashed tires on 13 vehicles parked on the 200 block of S. Farragut and 4600 block of Locust on Wednesday. Many of the vehicles had multiple tires slashed and several also had scratches to the doors, according to a police report. Police say it appears the vandalism took place between 2 and 7:30 a.m., when the damage was discovered.

There were multiple tire slashings in the area in early January 2013 when more than 50 vehicles were damaged near 49th/50th and Hazel. A 27-year-old man was arrested later that month in connection with the slashings.

Police are investigating a shooting outside of Cousin Danny’s Exotic Haven & Lounge at 52nd and Delancey, which left one person dead and two wounded. The shooting happened shortly after midnight on Sunday. One of the victims, a 25-year-old man, was shot multiple times and was taken to the hospital in critical condition. He died of his wounds several hours later. The second victim, a 47-year-old man, was shot in both legs and was listed in stable condition on Sunday. The man told police that he was walking on the 5200 block of Delancey when he heard the gunshots and was struck twice. He was able to walk after being shot and flagged down police nearby.

The third victim, a 24-year-old man, was found at Mercy Hospital where he walked after being shot once in his right leg.

Currently, the details of what led to the shooting are not available as the investigation continues.

This one was about as easy as it gets for police. A resident on the 4300 block of Baltimore Avenue reported a burglary after she was awoken just before 2 a.m. on Thursday by noises and a first floor security alarm.

The resident found a window open, several thousand dollars worth items missing from the first floor of the house and cinder blocks stacked outside below the window. Police arrived to find many of the items in an alley near the home. As the scene investigation continued, police noticed someone peering around the corner of a building on 44th Street. When the man reached for his ID after being stopped by police, an i-Phone that was later identified as the resident’s fell out of his pocket.

The man, 20-year-old Lakim McDonald of the 5600 block of Washington Ave., faces burglary and related charges.

Joe Murray of Southwest Detectives tweeted about the arrest earlier today:

This has been another episode of Being A Cop Is Really Easy Sometimes.

— Joseph Murray (@PPDJoeMurray) October 3, 2014

The number of burglaries and robberies in the University City area went down over the last few months, but this report is a reminder to residents to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity.

A Spruce Hill resident reported a break-in attempt at a small building with four apartments on the 4500 block of Spruce St. The incident happened early in the morning on Wednesday, Oct. 1, between midnight and 3 a.m. and was also reported to the police. The person who wrote us about the incident is one of the tenants in the building.

“…Someone attempted to break into a building on this block (Spruce St. between 45th & 46th) between the hours of 12-3 a.m. They did serious damage to a security door but did not get inside. To our knowledge, it was not anyone known to the tenants,” she wrote in an email.

The building tenants were a little shaken up by what had happened, according to the email. They want others to know about the incident and are also asking neighbors to contact police if they saw or heard anything suspicious that night.

“Neighbors can help keep neighbors safe,” the building tenant writes. “Please be alert, and don’t hesitate to dial 911 to report suspicious activity.”