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By Jorge Casuso

August 25 – Los Angeles police have arrested a suspect they believe could be the masked robber who targeted the homes of more than a dozen elderly women in Santa Monica and the Westside.

The suspect – who was arrested in Los Angeles Friday -- seems to match the description of the man responsible for a string of crimes that include ten home invasions, two attempted burglaries and one burglary since late May.

The suspect, who has not been identified by police, is described as an African American male between the ages of 25 and 40, standing 6 feet tall and weighing about 200 pounds. He would enter the homes wearing dark clothing with a dark mask covering his face.

The suspect, who struck unarmed, would usually enter single-story homes through unlocked windows or jimmied the locks on windows and doors, typically in the early morning hours.

In several incidents, the victims were surprised outside their homes and overpowered by the suspect, who forced them inside, ransacked the residences and fled with their possessions, police said.

"The arrest was the result of an intensive investigation conducted jointly by the Los Angeles and Santa Monica police departments and other entities," LAPD Deputy Chief Charlie Beck told the press. "The physical arrest came as the result of work by our Special Investigations Section of robbery-homicide division."

The robber last struck in Santa Monica on August 8, when he entered a home on the 1200 block of Ashland Avenue in Sunset Park at 2:45 a.m., rummaged through her house and stole several personal items, he police said.

The robber struck one other time in Santa Monica when he robbed another elderly women in her Sunset Park home on July 18.

All the incidents except one – which took place in mid-afternoon on Westwood Boulevard on July 29 -- occurred in the early morning hours, according to West Los Angeles police.

In that incident, the suspect approached the 96-year-old victim from behind while she was outside her home on the 2500 block of Westwood Boulevard at around 4 p.m.

He then forced the woman inside and ransacked her home, fleeing with the stolen property.

The victim was taken to a hospital, where she was treated for contusions and released the same day, police said.

In the other break-ins, no serious injuries were reported, police said.

Anyone with additional information should call the Santa Monica Police Department Detectives at 310.458.8451 Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. or the Watch Commander at 310.458.8427 (24 hours).

Anyone wishing to remain anonymous may call the WeTip hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME (27463).