'Like a big battering ram': Sacramento Ring camera video shows woman trying to break into home
For a longtime Sacramento resident, an ordeal where a woman tried to break into a neighbor's home nearly three weeks ago has led him to say "enough is enough" and call for city leaders to be held accountable for what he believes is deteriorating public safety in the city of Sacramento.
“Something that occurred in the downtown area has made me realize that there is just a peak concern at this point,” he said.
He asked KCRA 3 to conceal his identity but shared Ring camera video of an incident near his home last month that he said he witnessed.
“To my horror, I come out on my balcony – it’s a trilevel loft environment – and I look down and I see a person wearing a hoodie armed with like a bedframe support, almost like a big battering ram, literally taking runs and sprinting towards my neighbor’s door,” he said.
Police could not confirm if the woman seen in the video was unhoused, but identified her as Brenda Lopez-Torres, 23. According to records online, Lopez-Torres is facing burglary and vandalism charges, as well as additional charges for resisting a peace officer and battery committed against a peace officer. Police could not confirm if Lopez-Torres was under the influence at the time of the incident.
For some Sacramento residents, however, the incident is just one of many that illustrate the ongoing and persistent lack of attention to public safety and meeting the needs of unhoused community members.
“Why is this all happening? Because nothing is occurring. It's failure,” he said.
Lopez-Torres remained in custody on Wednesday.
A spokesperson for Mayor Darrell Steinberg said he was out of the office for Yom Kippur. A spokesperson said, however, the county and area nonprofit organizations handle mental health resources for unhoused community members.
A message left for City Councilmember for District 4 Katie Valenzuela was not answered Wednesday.