Police: Thieves pistol-whip sleeping man

ROSWELL, Ga. — Roswell police are looking for two home invaders who broke into a man's apartment, beat and robbed him.
 
It happened early Sunday at the Champions Green Apartment Homes on Holcomb Bridge Road.
 
The victim, who asked to have his identity concealed, told Channel 2's Mike Petchenik the men kicked in his door and pistol-whipped him on the head as he slept.
 
"The guy goes, 'Do you have any money?'  I told him, 'I had some in my work pants,' so he basically took my work pants," the victim told Petchenik.
 
The victim told Petchenik the men forced him to wait in the bathroom while they raided his apartment of electronics and cash.
 
"After a while, I didn't hear no noise, so I came out of my room and a lot of my electronics were gone," he said.
 
The attack left the man with two staples in his head and concerns about his living arrangement.  He said it's the second time someone has broken into his apartment in two years.
 
"I went to the leasing office and said, 'I don't feel safe,'" he said. "They said, 'We don't care. You have to give us 60 days' notice.'"
 
The man showed Petchenik a letter stating he would have to pay a $700 penalty if he broke his lease.  Petchenik brought those concerns to the leasing office.
 
Assistant property manager Ian Ritchie told Petchenik that is company policy, but that he would check with the company's regional office to see if the victim could get an exception.
 
"We've only been here a year and we've never had issues with any other attacks like that," said Ritchie. "It's unfortunate he was targeted twice."
 
Ritchie told Petchenik he's not surprised the victim would want to leave.  He said he would do the same.

"I probably would, yes," he said. "That's probably a fair comment."

WSBTV