Meridian, Miss. It was in this Mar Ray Apartments off North Hills Street about 8:45 Sunday night when a tenant answered a knock on their door\ that turned into a combination home invasion and armed robbery. Meridian police say a black male with a female accomplice forced their way into the apartment and held 4 people inside at gunpoint while robbing them of their money and cell phones.
Captain Dean Harper says, "Normally they know who's behind that door before they knock, and they've already got their plans laid out. That's why we caution you, when somebody knocks on the door, look out there and see who it is. Don't just open the door for anybody. If you don't know who it is, call the police. Tell them to go away. Tell them you're armed."
The black male is described as 6'3", wearing a camouflage shirt, and has a black handgun. While police don't have a good description of the female, they're hoping some of her distinguishing qualities may help lead to a break.
"She is described as having several tattoos on her arms and chest, and a particular tattoo of a rose on one of her calves."
Mar Ray Apartments and other areas that have seen a spike in crime over the past month are areas of town that are generally quiet, and Harper believes that criminals may be branching out to these areas because they don't expect to see officers there.
"This could be because of the concentrated police efforts and patrol that are trying to reduce some of this crime in certain parts of town. The bad guy just moves to another part of town understanding the fact how many officers are working and where they are."
Police plan to continue investigating these robberies and making new patrol plans as they see fit.