Police Hunt Home Invasion Robber Who Stole Dog, Laptop And Cellphone
ANAHEIM (CBS) — An armed man who tried to steal two parrots and a parakeet from an Anaheim backyard Wednesday is at-large, according to police.
The suspect was able to take the family's dog, a laptop computer and cellphone before fleeing.
Sheriff's deputies have recovered the dog -- a year-old Chihuahua named Blanca -- and reunited her with the family.
A 911 call was made from inside the home on Brookhurst Avenue near Katella Avenue about 11:30 a.m., and a 69-year-old man who lives at the residence told deputies someone was trying to steal his birds, said Jim Amormino of the Orange County Sheriff's Department.
"`Hey, what are you doing with my birds?,"' the man asked, according to Amormino.
The mustachioed intruder turned toward the resident and displayed a semiautomatic pistol, prompting the resident to go back into the house. Amormino said.
The gunman kicked the door in as the resident ran to hide, Amormino said. The gunman also kicked in a door to a bathroom, where the resident was hiding, he said.
"As the suspect put the gun to the man's head, the victim pleaded for his life," Amormino said.
About that time, the resident's daughter, who was looking after three children, realized what was happening and started screaming, prompting the gunman to scoop up a laptop computer and cellphone and take off, he said.
The family later realized the robber also stole their year-old Chihuahua, named Blanca, Amormino said.
Amormino drove around the neighborhood for about an hour until he spotted a white Chihuahua about five blocks away.
"I saw a white Chihuahua next to two men," Amormino said. "They saw me and went into the house and the dog ran into another yard," where Amormino "scooped up" Blanca and brought the canine home.
Sheriff's investigators were questioning the two men, Amormino said.
The thief was described as 25-30 years old and about 5 feet 7 inches tall, with a medium build and a thick black moustache. He was wearing a gray jacket and blue jeans, Amormino said.
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