Manhattan Beach police were searching Wednesday for four young men who terrorized a married couple and beat the husband during a two-hour home-invasion robbery.
Police were called to a home in the 100 block of Morningside Drive (map) just after midnight Tuesday after the four men had fled the home with cash and guns, according to a Manhattan Beach Police Department news release.
The men broke into the empty home by breaking a lower-level window, according to police. They were inside when the homeowners returned around 10 p.m. Tuesday.
At first, the robbers just pushed the couple around and tied them up, according to the husband, who gave his name only as Fred.
But then, Fred said the intruders began to get violent with him. They pushed him to the floor, covered his face so he couldn’t breathe and hit him with a gun.
“I thought they were going to shoot me,” he said. “When he pulled that gun out … I thought they were going to put it in my face.”
Fred was dragged all over the house by the robbers and forced to open the couple’s three safes. The intruders stole cash, guns and ammunition as well as jewelry. They then ransacked the home and fled. No vehicle was seen.
“They knew what they were doing,” Fred said. “They moved like they were pros. They knocked out the lights.”
During the heist, the men were talking on their cellphones to someone named “Playboy,” according to Fred.
The most frightening moment during the two-hour ordeal was when the intruders were leaving, Fred said.
One of the men stayed behind and a put a gun to Fred’s head.
“All of a sudden he lowers the gun, takes four steps, turns around and says, ‘If you move, you’re dead,'” Fred said. “And then he runs out.”
Fred and his wife were able to free themselves and call 911.
The male thieves were described by police as follows:
- Hispanic/black, 20 to 25 years old, 5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 9 inches tall, 140 to 150 pounds, with dark clothing/jacket;
- Hispanic, 20 to 35 years old, 6 feet to 6 feet 2 inches tall, 220 to 240 pounds, with black clothing and a stocking cap;
- Hispanic, 20 to 25 years old, 5 feet 1 inch to 6 feet tall, 180 to 190 pounds, with a goatee and baseball cap; and
- black, 19 to 25 years old, 5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 11 inches tall, 160 to 170 pounds, with black clothing, hoodie and gloves.
Anyone who spotted suspicious activity in the area was asked to call Detective Mike Rosenberger at 310-802-5127.
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