Suspects steal woman's rent money at gunpoint from her apartment in southeast Houston

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Police are looking into a home invasion that turned into armed robbery in southeast Houston.

Detectives are looking for the two men suspected of terrorizing a woman in her 60s and stealing money from her at gunpoint on Dec. 2 from her home at Willow Creek Apartments.

Gloria Tejada tells ABC13 she had never seen the two suspects before and hopes police can find them to prevent this from happening to anyone else.

Tejada and her 5-year-old grandson were awoken to loud bangs at the front door after 11 p.m. on the day she was robbed. She says she thought it may have been her son at the door but instead, two strange men forced their way inside with a gun in hand.

In tears, she told ABC13 in Spanish that she thought it was the end, and a wave of sadness overtook her as the men demanded money inside her home.

The suspects searched through her home and found several hundred dollars. She said that money took weeks for her to earn and that she was saving to pay her rent.

The money she says she works hard to make ends meet. She makes Honduran food and tamales to sell to her neighbors.

Tejada is unfortunately not the only victim of burglaries or robberies across our city. Statistics from the ABC13 Neighborhood Safety Tracker show more than 14,000 burglaries have happened in the last 12 months, and that's 8% down from the year prior.

In the area Tejada lives in, statistics show burglaries have stayed consistent within the last two years, but has increased since 2019. But data uncovered robberies have increased in the same area.

She says she's scared and hopes this never happens again. Her next rent is due next week and she told Eyewitness News she's $200 short.

For updates on this story, follow Daniela Hurtado on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.