Authorities Friday sought three men for an armed home invasion robbery of a family in the Whittier area, and a county supervisor asked for increased patrols.
Deputies responded to a robbery call Thursday about 9:30 p.m. in the 4400 block of Indian Bend Drive, near Sierra Sky Drive, in the unincorporated community of West Whittier, according to Deputy Juanita Navarro-Suarez of the Sheriff’s Information Bureau.
The robbers rushed into the house after an elderly female resident took out the garbage and reentered through a side door, Navarro-Suarez said.
They quickly searched the house and tied up two men and a girl, she said. It is unclear if the elderly woman was also bound.
They made demands and threatened the victims with a semi-automatic handgun when a female adult resident approached the front door, unaware of the crime occurring inside, according to Navarro-Suarez.
The robbers saw the woman outside, opened the door and pulled her inside the house. She and the suspects got into an altercation, in which she broke free. She ran outside with another male resident, Navarro-Suarez said.
The escaped residents screamed for help and got the attention of an Uber driver, causing the suspects to flee in an unknown direction in a black sedan, possibly a Dodge Charger or Challenger, according to Navarro-Suarez and Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn.
Two victims — a man and a woman — were treated at the scene for minor injuries, she said.
One of the victims was slapped in the face during the robbery and another suffered a minor injury during a scuffle with one of the intruders, according to KTLA5.
“I am so grateful that these residents are safe after this terrifying home invasion and I want to thank the Uber driver who realized what was happening and called 911,” Hahn said in a statement.
“The three suspects are still at large and are believed to be armed,” Hahn said. “I have asked Sheriff’s Capt. Phillip Marquez to increase patrols in the [area].”
The intruders took about $500 from a wallet and tried to get into a safe, but it was unclear if they were successful, Channel 5 reported.
No shots were fired during the incident.
The vehicle was captured on video surveillance driving in the area around the time of the incident, Navarro-Suarez said.
Authorities did not release a description of the robbers. Anyone with information on the case was urged to call Detective Avila at 562-949-2421.
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