The man broke into a 29-year-old woman's apartment in the 900-block of West Cornelia Avenue about 3:30 p.m. by forcing his way into an apartment building protected by a locked gate.
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"People pretend to be FedEx and it goes to your phone and people buzz them in," said Aaron Novasic, neighbor.
"There is a back gate which I guess could, someone could hop it or it could be unlocked," said Steven Ross, resident.
The intruder put the woman in a headlock, police said. She was able to escape and went into another room to call police. While the woman was on the phone with police, the man ransacked her apartment, grabbed a butcher knife from the kitchen and fled, police said.
"That's insane. I can't even imagine that. Definitely makes me question when my lease is up and when I'm getting out of here," Novasic said.
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Police saw the man with the knife in the street as they arrived to the scene. The man tried to run away, at which point police used a Taser to detain him, police said.
The woman was not injured and charges against the man are pending.
A few blocks south of the incident on Sunday morning, another home invader struck a woman with a wine bottle and porcelain dish after breaking into her apartment. That home invasion also remains under investigation.