Police search for alleged intruder who resident hit with pipe

Vancouver police say they are looking for a would-be burglar who climbed inside an apartment’s kitchen window Wednesday afternoon, only to be struck on the head by the renter, who swung a metal pipe.

Police say Todd A. Mouton, 19, suffered an injury to the left side of his head. Bleeding heavily, he fled on foot from the Mission Hills Apartments, 11900 N.E. 18th St., west of Evergreen High School, according to a bulletin from the Vancouver Police Department.

The case surfaced about 12:55 p.m. Wednesday, police said.

As of 4 p.m., police said they were searching for Mouton, who will need sutures for his scalp wound.

Officers said a brother of Mouton, who was found in the area, identified him as the alleged burglar. After fleeing from the scene, Mouton called someone in the apartment complex, a neighbor of the 42-year-old man whose home Mouton allegedly tried to burglarize.

Given Mouton’s phone number, an officer called him and asked him to turn himself in but he refused, the bulletin said.

Officers have alerted hospitals in the area to watch for Mouton, and have checked places where he is known to hang out.

Mouton is 6 feet 4 inches tall and 190 pounds, and was wearing a white T-shirt when injured, the bulletin said. He was last seen running south on 118th Avenue toward Evergreen Memorial Gardens Cemetery.

“He’s bleeding pretty profusely,” a dispatcher said at the time.

Police want to make sure Mouton gets medical treatment and want to talk with him about the intrusion.

The victim of the attempted burglary was not injured and is not believed to have committed any crime when he struck Mouton, police said.

Anyone seeing Mouton is asked to call 911.

John Branton: 360-735-4513 or john.branton@columbian.com.