Three female occupants were tied up in their home on the evening of Tuesday, Dec. 12, as four men armed with a handgun allegedly ransacked the residence and made off with collectibles and electronics, according to Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Sgt. Alan Chu.
The residential robbery was reported in the 800 block of Inverness Drive, where the men — whose faces reportedly were covered and who were wearing hooded sweatshirts — forced open a back door at approximately 7:30 p.m.
“It’s a big deal,” Chu said.
Investigators are waiting for fingerprint and DNA evidence to be processed at the sheriff’s crime lab, Capt. Chris Blasnek told City Council members at Tuesday’s meeting.
“DNA evidence seems to be the wave of the future, so that’s what we’re collecting now,” Blasnek said, adding that otherwise the department doesn’t have any “real great” leads.
“We’re looking at some leads from some possible workers who maybe were at the house, which has a very, very long driveway and is gated,” Blasnek added.
According to Chu, the women were unharmed after being tied up as the suspects searched for valuables.
“They were corralled into one room while [the suspects] ransacked the rest of the house,” Chu said. “They got tied up and they broke free after they left.”
He said there is some “very short” video footage of the suspects entering the home, but that the quality of the images isn’t great.
“Video cameras help, but if the bad guys know there’s a camera, they know to hide themselves,” Chu said. “And the cameras most people have at home are not meant to capture a lot of details. We’ll try to clean it up, but we have limitations on a very small camera in a short period of time.”
Said Blasnek: “We haven’t had any others — knock on wood — so we’ll be monitoring that very closely.”
Chu recommended that residents be aware of their surroundings.
“The best thing I tell people is be aware of who’s in your neighborhood,” he said. “The homes in the 800 block of Inverness are so isolated from each other, so no one will say anything for a bit, but strange cars usually stand out. Pay attention to what it is, say something or write down a license plate number to give us something to work with. And if it doesn’t turn out to be anything, throw it away.”
Residents Tied Up in Home Invasion
