COLUMBIA — Columbia police officers helped three young women escape through the window of a northeast Columbia apartment during a burglary Friday evening, according to a news release from the Police Department.
Just before 7 p.m., police were notified of a burglary in progress in the 2200 block of Whitegate Drive, according to the release.
Three females, ages 13, 14 and 25, told officers that two men were breaking in through a rear kitchen window and may have entered the apartment, Sgt. Lloyd Simons of the Columbia Police Department said.
Officers helped the victims, all uninjured, escape the residence and discovered upon entering the apartment that the suspects were no longer there, according to the release.
“Once these suspects entered the apartment and realized people were there, they left,” Simons said. “They didn’t want to deal with anybody being in the apartment.” He said he thought the suspects had intended to steal property from the residence, though nothing had been stolen when the officers arrived.
Police have a good description of one of the two suspects. He is described as a black male with a dark complexion and acne, between 5 feet 6 inches and 5 feet 8 inches tall, of a medium build, in his late teens or early 20s, with short braided or dreadlocked hair. He was wearing a white T-shirt with a green shirt draped over his shoulder. The second suspect could only be described as black, about 6 feet tall and was wearing a white T-shirt at the time of the incident.
Anyone with information is requested to call CRIME STOPPERS at (573) 875-8477.