It happened on the 47-hundred block of Vista Street on Monday afternoon. The victim was a hard-of-hearing senior citizen.
"They said they were cops so I asked for identification," said Robert Shaw.
He said the man and a woman came to his home and flashed id claiming to be police.
The 82-year-old had left his door unlocked for his daughter when the uninvited pair entered.
"He shoved me on the floor and pulled a knife," Shaw said.
When the man put the knife away, Shaw said he tried to call for help.
"He shoved me down again and that's when I hit my elbow. Then she disconnected the phone," he said.
The man rifled through papers, tossing them on the floor. He went upstairs ransacking drawers and into the basement searching through the elderly victim's belongings.
The entire time, the triple bypass survivor lay on his living room floor after having been struck with his own umbrella.
Shaw is not sure what they took. A neighbor, who saw them leaving, gave chase, but could not catch them. Another neighbor, who found Shaw, is disgusted.
"Just taking advantage of him, ransacking his home. For what? For money probably for drugs? It's a disgrace," said Theresa Burger.
The retired truck driver is left with an injured elbow and a bruised sense of safety in his own home.
Police at Northeast Detectives have not released a description of the suspects.
