A San Bernardino County couple was hospitalized after armed burglars assaulted them and ransacked their home.
The violent burglary occurred Thursday at a home on the 1600 block of North Orange Street in Redlands at around 3 a.m.
The victims, a couple in their late 60s, were sitting outside in their backyard when three masked men suddenly appeared.
“We were sitting in the backyard, we get up early,” said Kim Flores, the victim. “The [suspects] sprayed us with pepper spray and they start beating on us.”
The suspects demanded the couple hand over their valuables and after ransacking their home, escaped with around $2,000 worth of jewelry and other personal items.
The couple, left bloodied and bruised, were transported by officers to the hospital for treatment.
A neighbor, Anthony Velasquez, recalls seeing the injured couple after the brutal attack.
“I saw [the husband] sitting at his front doorstep this morning and he was bleeding on his face,” Velasquez said. “He had a gash on his face.”
Flores was left with serious bruising and swelling on the left side of her face.
“I’m just worried about him,” Flores said of her husband, who was treated for more serious injuries.
Investigators are asking neighbors for any surveillance footage that might have captured the fleeing burglars.
The violent home invasion has left residents on edge. Velasquez considers the victims his friends and said he feels terrible they were assaulted like this.
“Knowing that the cops just literally tagged your house, searched it and did all this forensic and evidence [procedures], that’s very unsettling for them because now they’ve lost their peace of mind,” Velasquez said.
It’s unclear whether the couple was targeted by the thieves. No descriptions of the suspects or their getaway car were provided as the case remains under investigation.
Anyone with additional information is asked to call Detective Liu at 909-798-7659 or the Redlands Police Department at 909-798-7681, use extension 1.