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Chicago Police Ransack 81-Year-Old Woman's Home Only To Discover They Had The Wrong House

Chicago (CBS) -- Hardies Clayton says she was shaking last night after having had guns pointed at her for the first time.

Just after 11 p.m. Thursday, the 81-year-old, who has a pacemaker and walks with a cane, says police smashed in her front door. They were searching for a convicted sex offender.

"I heard a big 'bam' at the door," Clayton said. "When I got up and got to the step to come down, they were upstairs, had their guns drawn and were telling me to put my hands up."

Her front door was splintered, the glass pushed in. The lock was smashed right off the door.

Then she says police put her son in handcuffs and proceeded to trash her house.

"I got four bedrooms upstairs, and they tore up the bedrooms," Clayton said.

Police showed her the warrant, which was for a bald 36-year-old with a different last name from her 42-year-old son who has a full head of hair. Her son told police they had the wrong house, the wrong date of birth and the wrong guy.

She says that didn't stop them from ransacking her home of 46 years.

Ruthie Burke, Clayton's oldest child, is outraged by the incident and has a message for police.

"Make sure it's the right person at the house before you tear up their house and break their door in," Burke said. "My mom is a senior. She's on a fixed income. She can't afford to repair all this."

Burke said her brother's room was left in the worst condition with the bed up against the wall. But the other rooms were similarly ransacked along with the basement.

Still, as bad as it is, Burke says it could've been worse.

"She could've fell out and had a heart attack," Burke said. "Anything could have happened."

In a statement, CPD Sergeant Cindy Guerra said:

"This search warrant was vetted through the State's Attorney Office with the oversight of a judge's order. The location of the search warrant was correct. However, the target identified by the confidential informant was not."

She also said a city claims form was completed for the owner of the residence.

The two investigators have uncovered several wrong raids and CBS 2's investigation continues.

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