PARIS – An elderly woman was badly shaken Tuesday by an assailant who hit her and tried to choke her, police said.

The incident happened around 7:15 p.m. in the living room of her apartment at a housing complex at 18 Gary St., said Paris Police Cpl. Mike Dailey.

The 93-year-old woman, who lives alone, was sitting in her chair watching TV when she felt something hit her on the top of her head, Dailey said.

As she turned, she saw a young white male, who began to choke her, Dailey said. She was able to scream “enough to scare him off,” said Dailey, and he fled the apartment.

A neighbor who heard the commotion called 911. The woman was transported by PACE ambulance to Stephens Memorial Hospital in Norway, where she was treated and released. Dailey said the woman suffered a lump on the head and abrasions to her throat.

The woman described her assailant as a young male with a slender build, wearing dark clothing.

Nothing was disturbed in the apartment, and it didn’t appear theft was a motive in the attack, Dailey said. “We don’t know what the motive was,” he said.

Anyone who may have seen a person running from the building or anything unusual at the housing complex Tuesday night is asked to call Dailey at the Paris Police Department, 743-7448.

Dailey said the incident has unnerved residents at the subsidized housing complex, where, prior to Tuesday night, it was not unusual for residents to leave their doors ajar as a sign of trust.

ggeraghty@sunjourna.com