LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Authorities are urging residents in Hurstbourne Acres to be on alert after an elderly woman was violently assaulted during a home invasion Wednesday afternoon.
The Louisville Metro Police Department's (LMPD) Sixth Division responded to a home in the neighborhood, near Taylorsville Road, around 2:30 p.m.
When police arrived, the woman told officers she had a knock at her front door and when she answered the door, a suspect knocked her down and raped her inside the home.
The suspect then stole some of her belongings and fled the scene.
The suspect is described as a thin 5'10" Black man with short black hair, LMPD said. He was last seen wearing a black shirt and either jeans or blue pants as of Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. Police believe the suspect fled on foot in the area.
A department spokesperson said the woman was taken to the hospital for treatment.
LMPD's Sex Crimes Unit (OSPI) is investigating. Detectives are currently canvassing the area and interviewing neighbors.
"This type of incident is very troubling and very uncommon," LMPD said. "We want the community in that area to be cautious, take extra time to pay attention to your surroundings, and call 911 immediately if you feel you are in danger."
Police are asking anyone that has any information, particularly images or video in the area, to contact LMPD using the anonymous Crime Tip Line at 502-574-LMPD (5673). Reports can also be made online by clicking here.
Neighbors are choosing to be vigilant, not fearful, as they grapple with the tragedy that happened feet from their doorsteps.
"It was just total surprise, because that sort of thing never, never happens here," Don Ray Smith, a Hurstbourne Acres homeowner of 22 years, said. "So you tend, I tend to look at this as kind of an incidental event."
Grant Osborne, another nearby homeowner, said he was "shocked."
"I didn't think anything back here would happen," he said. "Because there's always people out walking or riding their bikes and police drive by all the time."
Osborne said he was home at the time of the incident but didn't hear anything.
"I was here when it happened," he said. "So I don't know. I wouldn't have known."
"When that sort of thing happens, it definitely gets your attention because it's virtually nonexistent in this area of town," Smith said. "We hear about virtually no violence, no crime, no break-ins, nothing of that sort."
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