Intruder Fatally Shoots Man in Struggle to Steal Rolex Watch

A gunman apparently intent on stealing his victim’s Rolex watch invaded a couple’s newly purchased Beverly Hills home Tuesday and fatally wounded the man in a struggle before breaking free and escaping, police said.

Sam Sabbah, 42, was shot several times in the abdomen and died at UCLA Medical Center at midafternoon. His wife, Rachel, joined her husband’s struggle with the gunman, but she was unable to hold onto the assailant. Police said she was not hurt.

“He shot him (Sabbah) down and took his Rolex watch,” said Beverly Hills Police Lt. David Griffey.

The gunman was described as a slim black man, about 5 feet, 10 inches tall and in his mid-20s, with close-cropped hair.

Beverly Hills Police Lt. Bob Curtis gave this account:

The couple had arranged to rendezvous with a house painter at their new home in the 200 block of South Canon Drive at about 10 a.m. While the wife was talking to the painter in one room, a man carrying a handgun suddenly appeared in another and confronted the husband.

Hearing a gunshot, the wife dashed into the room where her husband was struggling with the assailant. The painter ran from the home but the wife joined the struggle, and several more shots were fired.

The gunman ran from the home as neighbors, alerted by the wife’s screams for help, telephoned police.

Curtis said police received the 911 call at 10:09 a.m. Paramedics rushed Sam Sabbah to the hospital.

Residents on the tree-lined street expressed shock at the violence that had shattered their quiet neighborhood.

“It feels scary,” said Ginny Hirsh Clements, a neighbor whose purse was snatched by an intruder at her home in March.

“We have a security system and a really great dog,” Clements said. “But if someone wants to get you, there’s not much you can do about it.”