Hmong targeted in St. Paul home invasions

Unsuspecting residents in St. Paul's Hmong neighborhoods who have opened their doors to help a stranger instead faced a dangerous criminal who snatched valuable jewelry from their necks.

St. Paul police said Friday there have been at least five similar home invasions involving one or two Hmong men on the lookout for the glint of gold.

With the attacks growing more violent in recent weeks, police Friday warned residents not to let strangers into their homes.

In all five attacks, suspects described as Hmong males in their 20s, both between 5 feet 1 inches and 5 feet 5 inches tall, one with a slender build and one with a heavy build, ask to use the bathroom, or phone, or in one case, inquire about a home daycare, said St. Paul police spokesman Peter Panos. Once they're in the house, they attack the victims, pull necklaces from their necks and flee, Panos said. They don't stick around long enough to steal anything else in the house.

In some cases, those necklaces were worth more than $1,000. "It's an easy theft and that stuff is easy to pawn," Panos said, adding that the suspects don't always come in the house together, but are seen fleeing together.

The first attack that police have connected to these suspects happened in August. In that case, two men went to an apartment in the 1500 block of Timberlake Road around 10 a.m. After they got into the home, one of the suspects held the victim's arm, while the other struck her in the face, according to the police report. They ripped her gold necklace off and fled to a tan Toyota minivan. Witnesses told police the van's license plate included the number 132. The same van has been seen at one other robbery location.

The next two robberies happened in November and two more happened in December. None of the robberies happened at night, so police believe the suspects may be targeting women who are home alone during the day.

In November, one of the attacks happened in the 300 block of Fuller Avenue at 12:30 p.m. The suspect got into the house by asking about a home daycare service. The daycare operator wasn't home, but a relative answered the door, Panos said. The relative's chain pendant necklace was ripped off.

During one of the robberies in December, the assailant asked to use the bathroom at a home in the 700 block of Minnehaha Avenue W. When the victim let him in, he pulled a gun on her and pulled off her necklace. It was the first time a firearm had been used.

"This is an escalation from what they were doing," Panos said. "They're getting more bold. You start taking the chance that somebody gets hurt."

One victim, an elderly Hmong woman, was attacked by two men whom she mistook for relatives. She does not speak English and did not want to be identified because the assailants have not been caught. Her daughter said the woman was in her kitchen cooking and another daughter had left the front door open because the woman's husband was going outside to get something.

When the two men came into the house, she said hello to them in Hmong and they responded, the daughter said.

The woman sprained her finger when she fell and lost a gold necklace that she had owned her whole life.

"It's just upsetting," the daughter said. "Why would they do it to elders? They're Hmong, why would they be going around and robbing their own people?"

Panos said if residents want to help people asking for assistance, they can offer to make a phone call.

Police believe there have been more robberies connected to these suspects and are asking other victims to come forward. Anyone with information about the robberies can call Western District Robbery Investigations at 651-266-5415.