Horrifying doorbell camera footage shows the moment a woman was targeted by a masked man with a gun in an apparent stalking home-style robbery.
The clip, recorded early Monday in Kent, Washington, shows the suspect briefly chasing the unnamed victim before closing the door in his face.
The victim, an unidentified middle-aged Asian woman, managed to record the encounter with her residence’s ring-mounted camera — one provided by Amazon-owned Ring.com.
Coincidentally, the town of about 135,000 — 20 miles south of Seattle — partnered with the home security company in February 2020, at the time to address a spate of similar crime where would-be robbers follow their targets home.
The footage, shared to Reddit by user willmok a few hours later, showed much of the same – with an accompanying caption claiming that people of Asian descent are those who are frequently targeted.
Horrifying doorbell camera footage shows the moment a woman was targeted by a masked man with a gun in an apparent stalking home-style robbery.
Within a split second, a man enters the frame – a towering figure seen brandishing a pistol with what appears to be an extended magazine
The clip, recorded early Monday in Kent, Washington, shows the suspect briefly chasing the unnamed victim before closing the door in his face.
A caption on the now-viral thread reads: ‘Warning, Asians continue to be targeted and followed home.’
It added that the incident happened this morning Kent East Hill, a particularly problematic area of the city – which is the state’s fourth most populated.
Commenters subsequently expressed their dismay at the accompanying clip – which shows the woman entering the house behind an also Asian acquaintance at 12.48am.
A few seconds behind her male partner – who is seen unlocking both the front and screen doors before entering – the woman tries to get in too, before glancing behind her at what must have been complete darkness .
Instead, the woman sees something else – something indicated by her visible look of fear in the now-circulating clip.
Sure enough, within a split second, a man enters the frame – a towering figure seen holding a pistol with what appears to be an extended magazine.
Seemingly catching wind of what was about to happen, the woman – alone with her assailant at this point – is seen quickly rushing into the residence and successfully closing the door behind her.
In her haste, the screen door was left open, leaving the masked marauder to open the actual door that was closed just before him.
The victim, an unidentified middle-aged Asian woman, managed to record the encounter with her residence’s ring-mounted camera — one provided by Amazon-owned Ring.com
In her haste, the screen door was left open, leaving the masked marauder to open the actual door that was locked just before him
Fortunately, as the footage shows, he found it locked – with the woman somehow managing to turn the mechanism after locking the door, possibly saving her and others inside
The man continues to aggressively struggle with the doorknob before noticing the camera recording him – leading him to try to get off it in a fit of rage. He ended up escaping with what appeared to be an accomplice
Fortunately, as the footage shows, he found it locked – with the woman somehow managing to turn the latch after closing the door, potentially saving her and others inside.
The man continues to aggressively struggle with the doorknob before noticing the camera recording him – leading him to try to get off it in a fit of rage.
At this point, a potential accomplice – also dressed in black – is seen peering into the frame behind the robber, before both are seen escaping empty-handed.
It was unclear from the report whether the incident was reported to the local police.
Onlookers, meanwhile, were quick to express their outrage.
‘Just horrible to watch,’ wrote one, calling the incident a ‘hate crime’.
‘I really hope these individuals are caught and removed from society. We must have a zero tolerance policy towards these crimes.’
Another commented: ‘He’s got an extended power on his pistol and he’s robbing people alone early in the morning. It’s licentious.’
Other more eagle-eyed users noted the other man seen briefly in the clip – likely showing how the averted strike was planned, and possibly part of a larger bust.
“He’s not alone,” someone wrote. “Another masked, armed man comes up behind him…visible for just a few frames.”
Considered part of the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metropolitan area, the city has struggled with armed robberies and gun violence in recent years, likely due to its proximity to the similarly troubled Windy City
As a result, Kent Police, led by Chief Rafael Padilla, partnered with Ring.com in February 2020 — just before the pandemic — in hopes of catching criminals in the act.
Considered part of the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metropolitan area, the city has struggled with armed robberies and gun violence in recent years, likely due to its proximity to the similarly troubled Windy City.
As a result, Kent Police partnered with Ring.com in February 2020 – just before the pandemic – in the hope of catching offenders in the act.
“This allows us to send out an email and say we had this incident, are there any videos out there for us,” current Chief Rafael Padilla – who has served the department since 1997 – said at the time.
Last month, the department took new steps to address crime in the neighborhood where the recent incident took place — targeting an East Hill apartment complex that Padilla and others claim is home to many of the perpetrators.
On August 9, in what was billed as a move to restore safety to a neighborhood terrorized by violent crime, the force handcuffed a 25-year-old suspect on murder charges following the fatal shooting of a 43- year old man on 111th Farm SE.
In a Facebook post shared shortly after, the KPD wrote: ‘This apartment complex has been the epicenter for extraordinary violent crime, especially this year.
‘Today’s action is just one of several steps we are taking to identify and apprehend the violent offenders who have terrorized this neighbourhood.’
DailyMail.com has reached out to the Kent Police Department for comment.
