Deputies Searching For Home Invasion Robber Who Targeted Mountain House Residence
MOUNTAIN HOUSE (CBS13) — It was a nightmare situation for a Mountain House family: a home invasion robbery with a gunman holding their 19-year-old son at gunpoint in his own room.
The teen was asleep in his bed when the gunman entered the home on Invitar Lane at 4 a.m. on Monday. The gunman then entered the 19-year-old's room, hitting him in the head before holding him at gunpoint in his own bed.
The suspect was dressed in all black and wore a ski mask and gloves.
The suspect demanded the teen hand over his diamond nose ring and cash, all while his younger brother and parents remained asleep in other parts of the house.
Nawaz Khan is a neighbor providing support to the shaken family. The the19-year old described the frightening encounter to him.
"It was heartbreaking, it was painful," Khan said. "He was kept in a situation to describe like where a torch in his face and a gun on his nose."
The suspect used a strobe feature on a flashlight with one hand and a gun in the other.
The San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office released a surveillance photo of the suspect caught before he entered the home.
Because of its poor quality, they are asking people in the area to look for better surveillance video on their own cameras.
Sandeep Singh is a father of young children on the street. He says most homeowners there have young children, making this brazen crime all the more concerning.
"It's very scary," Singh said. "But if a person is willing to use a deadly weapon for a robbery, then he might be willing to use it to commit other crimes."
The gunman ultimately ran out of the home when he heard an alarm clock go off, leaving the family in fear and the community feeling their safety was also threatened.
Deputies believe the suspect entered the home through an unlocked back door. When he left, he ran out the front door.