ANAHEIM : 5 Arrested After Home Invasion

Five people were arrested Thursday after tying up a 66-year-old baby-sitter and robbing a house before driving away and crashing into a tree, police said.

Police seized three handguns and retrieved an undetermined amount of jewelry and a gun stolen from the home in the 1600 block of West Crone Avenue.

Malee Burasombut told police she was ironing when four people charged into the kitchen, bound and gagged her, then robbed the house.

“The victim managed to free herself and run out to the street calling for help,” said Anaheim Police Sgt. Chet Barry.

After the danger had passed, Burasombut and her employers, Sewei and Rae Ruangtragool, were able to see some humor in the robbery.

“Thank goodness the baby is OK,” said Rae Ruangtragool of her 4-month-old son who was not harmed. “But, now that it’s over, it’s almost funny, what Malee told us.”

Burasombut, who does not speak English, laughed as she recalled two of the robbers tugging at a ring on her right hand, Rae Ruangtragool said.

“They pulled her to the sink and, using soap and water, tried to take the ring,” she said Burasombut told her. “Can you imagine that?”

Burasombut said she was able to escape when the robbers ran into another room after they heard the baby cry.

As the robbers fled toward their car, the baby-sitter said, she ran into the street and frantically tried to flag down passing motorists. She said she yelled, “Baby! Baby!” in English and waved her still-tethered hands toward the house.

Meanwhile, the robbers drove away. A motorist followed them, but stopped his chase when one of the passengers “fired several rounds at his vehicle,” Barry said.

The robbers then drove to Alvy Street, where they crashed into a tree and ran off, police said.

Officers cordoned off the area and with the help of witnesses arrested five people, one a juvenile, without incident, Barry said. Investigators were still looking for a sixth suspect, he added.

Arrested on suspicion of armed robbery were Han Nguyen, 19, of Santa Ana; Tri Hong, 18, of Long Beach; Hoang Nguyen, 19, and Chanda Hen, 18, both of Garden Grove. The fifth suspect, 15, will be booked and turned over to juvenile authorities, police said.