Three people were injured when a group of thieves targeted several homes in the San Gabriel Valley early Sunday morning.
El Monte police responded to the 2700 block of Potrero Avenue around 1:20 a.m. on a report of a home invasion robbery, according to RMG News.
A victim who did not want his identity revealed told KTLA the thieves were looking for something specific as they went from one home to another.
“I was out in the back of the property and I didn’t notice that they got into the home,” he said. “They tied up my whole family and I just happened to walk in on it. They put a gun in my face and pulled me into the room where the rest of my family was and tied me up.”
The victim says he was convinced his family would be safe if they cooperated.
“You could tell they weren’t going to hurt us. They were looking for something specific, not to hurt anybody,” he said.
After leaving his home, the man told KTLA the thieves broke into an elderly neighbor’s home where at least one shot was fired.
It does not appear anyone was shot. However, authorities say three people were hospitalized after they were assaulted.
SWAT officers searched the area and eventually took two suspects into custody, a 24-year-old Compton man identified as Ajaon Payne and male 17-year-old. Officials believe there are two remaining suspects still at-large as of Sunday afternoon, both described only as “African American male adults.”
Authorities did not reveal what the thieves were looking for.
Anyone with information about this incident was encouraged to call the El Monte Police Department at 626-580-2100.