Police say they are investigating after an 85-year-old resident who was doing yardwork in Woodstock was left injured after being robbed by a group who stopped at his home.
The Woodstock Police Department responded around 10:17 a.m. Saturday to the area of West Jackson Street and South Hill Street for a report of a robbery.
Woodstock Police Chief John Lieb said a citizen reported he was doing yardwork at his residence.
A white SUV drove up and stopped near him before engaging him in a conversation.
Lieb said they claimed they were a Saudi Arabian family but there is no evidence that this was factual.
The group was speaking to him about selling or giving him some jewelry, Lieb said.
An occupant of the vehicle removed the 85-year-old victim’s necklace from his neck while near the car.
The occupants and vehicle fled the scene with the stolen jewelry and the resident fell as the vehicle pulled away, leaving him injured, Lieb said.
The Woodstock Fire/Rescue District responded to the scene to treat the victim, who suffered a head injury.
Fire officials said the man declined transport to the hospital after being evaluated.
A canvass of the area was conducted by responding officers and the Woodstock Police Department Investigations Division was notified and took over the investigation.
Lieb said the investigation showed the vehicle, which had out-of-state license plates, entered Woodstock approximately a half hour prior to the incident.
The vehicle then immediately left the Woodstock area after the incident.
Lieb said it is possible the occupants of the car were a family of transient thieves who committed a “crime of opportunity.”
He said no other similar incidents were reported in Woodstock but it is unclear whether other communities experienced similar incidents.
A woman said she and her boyfriend found the victim in “rough shape” after he was approached by the four people, who gave him a “gold” ring before robbing him of his chain.
“They left this man lying near the road with blood coming from his head,” she said, asking neighbors on Jackson Street to check their video surveillance systems.
The robbery remains under investigation by the Woodstock Police Department.