Mother and daughter forced into closet of their north Houston home by gunman

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- An armed robber kicked in the door of a family's home on Briarcliff near Tidwell in north Houston. Police tell us a relative of the victim called 911 to report the break-in.

A mother and daughter were sitting in their living room when a man with a gun forced his way inside the home.

"He came in and he pointed the gun at her," recalled a witness, who did not want to be identified. "He asked where the money was, and she just said, 'Here, take my phone.' She ran into her room, trying to call her mom, but that's when the guy pulled up behind her and put the gun to her head. That's when my aunt noticed the commotion. She came out and started crying. He just shoved them into her closet and he started going through their room."

The witness was waiting outside to pick up her cousin when she saw the man run out of the house. She followed him down the street and was able to provide a description of him. She described the suspect as an African-American man, roughly 25 to 30 years old, approximately 5 feet 5 inches tall, about 175 pounds, with gold lower teeth, wearing blue jean shorts and a gray t-shirt.

The witness adds that as the man was running down the street, he jumped into a getaway vehicle described as a cherry red Chevy Impala with silver rims and sped off.

Anyone with information about the crime or the suspect is urged to call police.