Police look for would-be robber

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Police are looking for a brazen criminal after an overnight scare near 1300 South and 2100 East.

The masked man broke in by smashing his way into a sliding glass door. He then aimed his shotgun at one of the home's residents and forced the resident to give him a tour of the home so he could pick things to steal.

Salt Lake City Police spokeswoman Jordan Smith says his weapon of choice sets him apart. "The shotgun. The fact that he was armed I don't think is unusual. The shotgun? Maybe, just because of the nature of it."

Smith said it's hard to imagine what that was like for the victim. "You never know if they're capable of using that shotgun or not. So you always just take it with precaution, definitely," she said.

The intruder didn't realize someone else was home and watching from behind a crack in the bedroom door.

"He (the other resident) was able to slide through a gap in his bedroom window, fell into a window well and sustained a deep cut to his head," Smith explained. "He was lucky. I think it was an eight-foot fall," she added.

That wasn't enough to keep the resident from running away and calling police. But the intruder got away before officers arrived.

The only description of the gunman is a stocky man wearing a ski mask.

E-mail: bbruce@ksl.com