Tulsa Attorney Robbed During Home Invasion

By Lori Fullbright, The News On 6

TULSA, OK – Tulsa Police are investigating a second midtown Tulsa home invasion in as many weeks.

The latest case happened Tuesday night and involved two robbers with guns who terrorized a man and his daughter.

This victim is defense attorney Rabon Martin, who is dying of cancer and in a wheelchair. There was no need for the robbers to beat him with a gun to get what they wanted, but they did. They also dragged his daughter downstairs by the hair.

Rabon Martin was in his home Tuesday night around 10:30 when two men walked in through the open front door. They knocked him out of his wheelchair, then dragged his grown daughter downstairs and put her on the floor next to him.

He promised not to look at the men if they'd just take what they wanted and leave.

"I said, here's where the safe is, go lift it out, bring it here and I'll do the combination and I'll give you the money," Martin said. "And I did."

Because talking about it still makes him emotional, he didn't want to be on camera for the interview, but, didn't mind if the News On 6 showed him otherwise. He showed the News On 6 where the robbers had ransacked some rooms. They ended up with money, a gun and two laptops.

His attitude is upbeat and even sympathetic.

Rabon Martin, robbery victim: "I feel for them."

Lori Fullbright, The News On 6: "You feel for them? Why?"

Rabon Martin, robbery victim: "That this is the way their life turned out, what did you do? I hit people with a gun. This is not the way you want your life to go."

Recently, an attorney living less than a mile away had his garage door up on a Sunday night when robbers came inside and stole guns from a safe that was visible from the street.

6/21/2010 Related story: Tulsa Detectives Search For Men Involved In Home Invasion At Attorney's House

Rabon says he doesn't care about the items that were taken, he's just glad he and his daughter survived.

Police say the danger is real because criminals who used to see an open door and grab an item, now see an open door and go inside with guns.

"Now more than ever, it's not just burglaries that are occurring, these are things that in an instant can turn into a murder," Sergeant Dave Walker, Tulsa Police, said.

Right now, police don't believe the connection is that both of the recent victims were attorneys, but believe it's that both victims had open doors.

The one in Maple Ridge had four suspects, wearing masks, while Tuesday's incident was two men without masks.

Police say you should make your house a hard target, which means closing, locking and even reinforcing your doors.