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LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A man was in custody Thursday in connection with a break-in and robbery at a Beverly Grove-area home during which the 71-year-old homeowner was assaulted and a large amount of jewelry, including high-end watches, was stolen.
Dillon Anthony Klincke, 31, of Los Angeles was arrested in the 1200 block of Meadowbrook Avenue on Wednesday night by detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department's Robbery-Homicide Division, according to the LAPD.
Klincke was booked on suspicion of robbery and was being held on $175,000 bail, the LAPD reported.
According to the LAPD, a lone suspect wearing a Halloween-type mask entered the woman's home in the 6600 block of West Fifth Street about 2:25 p.m. Wednesday. It was unclear if the mask was modeled after the Jason character from the "Halloween" film franchise.
"Once inside the location, the suspect pistol-whipped the victim and demanded access to a safe that contained a large amount of expensive jewelry," police said in a statement.
"The suspect gained access to the safe, removed the jewelry and fled the location with the victim's property," police said. "The victim sustained bruises and lacerations as a result of being struck by the suspect. She was treated by Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics and released at scene."
Investigators at the scene told reporters the items taken from the home included some high-end watches, possibly Rolexes, with the pilfered merchandise valued in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Fox11 reported that the woman owns a business that involves collecting jewelry, and investigators were looking into the possibility she was targeted by someone who knew she had expensive merchandise in her home.
"It's just unbelievable. This was always a quiet, safe neighborhood," area resident Jason Anish told Fox11. "There were little things that went on -- car break-ins -- but nothing major where you would see people getting pistol-whipped or, you know, zip-tied. So, it's truly unfortunate. It's a sad sign of the times right now."