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Dec 14, 2006 5:17 am US/Pacific
Attempted Robber Armed With Samurai Sword Arrested
(CBS) LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif. A woman in Laguna Niguel got a scare Thursday morning when she went downstairs to investigate a noise that woke her up and was confronted by a man armed with a samurai sword who was ransacking her house, authorities said.
The man, 31-year-old Timothy M. Clinch, allegedly broke into the first floor of a house in the 28500 block of Shrike Drive at 2 a.m., according to Orange County sheriff's Lt. Larry Abbott.
He confronted a woman in the house with a sword, but was eventually locked outside and apprehended by sheriff's deputies. No one was injured, Abbott said.
The woman, her husband and their 20-year-old daughter had been asleep upstairs at the time of the incident, Abbott said. Hearing a noise downstairs, the woman woke up and went down to check it out. When she got there, she found
Clinch holding a samurai sword, Abbott said.
Clinch allegedly held the blade to her throat and took her into the house's living room -- presumably to tie her up, Abbott said.
"Now, this is where it gets weird," Abbott said.
Clinch allegedly told the woman that he had her husband tied up in the living room, although it was not immediately clear whether he actually believed that he did or was saying so just to scare her, Abbott said, adding that authorities suspected that Clinch was under the influence of drugs.
The husband was safely asleep upstairs at the time, he said.
Clinch and the woman arrived at the living room and saw that no one else was there.
"He told her, 'Oh, so your husband thinks he's a f---ing hero?"' Abbot said.
Clinch walked outside, apparently to go look for the woman's husband, Abbott said. Seeing her opportunity, the woman locked the door.
At this point, the woman's daughter woke up and, hearing the commotion downstairs, called the Orange County Sheriff's Department, Abbott said.
Using a helicopter with forward-looking infrared radar, sheriff's deputies were able to spot a vehicle with a warm, recently run engine in a driveway nearby, according to Abbott. It turned out to be Clinch's.
Not far from that, deputies on foot noticed a hand sticking out from under an SUV, Abbott said. Clinch was hiding underneath and was arrested without further incident.
A switchblade was found on Clinch's person, and the samurai sword was recovered from a neighbor's car, where he had hidden it, Abbott said. It was not immediately clear what, if anything, Clinch took from the house, he said.
Dec 14, 2006 5:17 am US/Pacific
Attempted Robber Armed With Samurai Sword Arrested
(CBS) LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif. A woman in Laguna Niguel got a scare Thursday morning when she went downstairs to investigate a noise that woke her up and was confronted by a man armed with a samurai sword who was ransacking her house, authorities said.
The man, 31-year-old Timothy M. Clinch, allegedly broke into the first floor of a house in the 28500 block of Shrike Drive at 2 a.m., according to Orange County sheriff's Lt. Larry Abbott.
He confronted a woman in the house with a sword, but was eventually locked outside and apprehended by sheriff's deputies. No one was injured, Abbott said.
The woman, her husband and their 20-year-old daughter had been asleep upstairs at the time of the incident, Abbott said. Hearing a noise downstairs, the woman woke up and went down to check it out. When she got there, she found
Clinch holding a samurai sword, Abbott said.
Clinch allegedly held the blade to her throat and took her into the house's living room -- presumably to tie her up, Abbott said.
"Now, this is where it gets weird," Abbott said.
Clinch allegedly told the woman that he had her husband tied up in the living room, although it was not immediately clear whether he actually believed that he did or was saying so just to scare her, Abbott said, adding that authorities suspected that Clinch was under the influence of drugs.
The husband was safely asleep upstairs at the time, he said.
Clinch and the woman arrived at the living room and saw that no one else was there.
"He told her, 'Oh, so your husband thinks he's a f---ing hero?"' Abbot said.
Clinch walked outside, apparently to go look for the woman's husband, Abbott said. Seeing her opportunity, the woman locked the door.
At this point, the woman's daughter woke up and, hearing the commotion downstairs, called the Orange County Sheriff's Department, Abbott said.
Using a helicopter with forward-looking infrared radar, sheriff's deputies were able to spot a vehicle with a warm, recently run engine in a driveway nearby, according to Abbott. It turned out to be Clinch's.
Not far from that, deputies on foot noticed a hand sticking out from under an SUV, Abbott said. Clinch was hiding underneath and was arrested without further incident.
A switchblade was found on Clinch's person, and the samurai sword was recovered from a neighbor's car, where he had hidden it, Abbott said. It was not immediately clear what, if anything, Clinch took from the house, he said.
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