Stranger attacks 77-year-old woman in south Fort Worth home invasion, police say
A 21-year-old man is in custody and faces charges after he assaulted a 77-year-old woman in her south Fort Worth senior living apartment Monday night, police said.
Officers responded to the home invasion call in the 6100 block of Community Lane about 10 p.m. after a neighbor reported that someone had broken into an apartment. The injured resident, June Gruebel, managed to crawl outside and ask for help, according to a police report and 911 call records.
Gruebel told Star-Telegram media partner WFAA-TV that she woke up when she heard banging on her neighbor’s door and then her own door, and moments later the attacker broke in.
“He comes busting through the door, took his fist and hit me and knocked me down,” Gruebel said. “Hit me on my back. Kicked me in the side.”
The man, who was a stranger to Gruebel, tossed around food and furniture, including a chair that he threw at her head and a table that hit her waist, she told WFAA. The victim uses a wheelchair and was unable to walk. As she crawled through broken glass toward the door — praying and fearing for her life — she found her emergency call button and pushed it.
“I just knew I wasn’t going to make it out,” Gruebel told WFAA. “But determination struck me and I had to get out. I couldn’t let him win.”
A neighbor also saw the man enter the home and start throwing furniture. The neighbor heard the victim screaming and called 911.
The suspect was still inside the apartment when officers arrived, police said in a news release Tuesday. He unsuccessfully tried to grab a gun from one of the officers but was taken into custody, police said.
The suspect was drunk, according to police, who confirmed the attacker and the victim didn’t know each other.
The suspect, Cristian Mendez, was arrested and booked into the Fort Worth City Jail.
Mendez faces one count each of burglary of a habitation and attempting to take a weapon from an officer, according to police records. He is being held in the Tarrant County Jail with bond set at $225,000.
Gruebel suffered bruising and swelling from the attack and needed a cut on her head stitched. She was taken to a hospital for treatment and later released.
This story was originally published December 2, 2025 at 9:02 AM.
