Featured Image Credit: KCAL/KCBS
Topics: Crime, California, Police
Callum Jones
Photos have shown the terrifying moment a woman climbed on the roof to hide from an intruder who was just a few feet behind her.
Back in September 2014, Melora Rivera was left in utter shock after an intruder kicked down her front door in Venice, California.
Rivera was in bed at the time of the incident and all the commotion led to her jumping out of her safe place and onto the roof.
She managed to crawl out of the window and away from the oncoming intruder.
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Melora Rivera told CBS News: "He managed to break one of these panels and reach in to unlock the door. Once I saw him in the house, I knew that we both couldn't be there. I knew that I didn't want to have a confrontation with him of any sort, you know, not knowing what his intention was."
On her way to the roof, Rivera was able to grab her phone and call 911 as the intruder, who was later named as Christian Hicks, allegedly pursued her.
After she had got through to a dispatcher on the other side, Rivera thought the best plan of action was to hide under an eave - and that certainly worked well for her.
However, that didn't mean it wasn't a scary experience for the woman based in California.
She added: "The drop is, I would guess, more than 20 feet. So there was no safely jumping off the roof or coming down from the roof at that point.
"It was my biggest fear was that he was going to be forced by the cops to come hide in basically the same place I was hiding."
Local authorities have since said police were able to get to Rivera less than two minutes after they'd been dispatched, meaning she got out of danger fairly quickly.
Alexandria Thompson witnessed the whole commotion, as Rivera was helped off the roof by the fire brigade who were also called out to the scene.
Also speaking to CBS, the bystander said: "I saw this guy this morning in handcuffs. I've seen him in my yard. I called the police."
Hicks was originally detained but police was forced to let him go after the individual who called the cops in the first place declined to identify him in person.
Rivera has since spoken out about homelessness in the local area and how she feels that needs to be tackled to prevent similar situations from occurring.
"I think it's very obvious for most of us who live around here, when someone seems to be suffering from a mental illness, and to continue to let these people walk around without offering them assistance, to protect them and us," she added.