Robbers Rough Up Two Boys Home Alone

Police are searching for three men who burst into a home, tied up two boys and stole more than $4,000 worth of electronic equipment this week.

The robbers invaded the home Wednesday afternoon, binding a 12-year-old boy and his 17-year-old cousin, who were home alone.

The older boy suffered a minor bruise on the neck after being pistol-whipped by the intruders; his cousin was unharmed.

The younger boy said he was eating lunch when the doorbell rang. When he opened the door he was pushed to the floor by a man and dragged up the stairs by the neck, he said.

“At first I thought it was a joke because my cousin and I joke around a lot,” he said. “But when they dragged me up the stairs I saw a gun and then I knew it wasn’t a joke.”

He was taken into his parents’ bedroom where his hands and feet were bound with electrical cord and then a heavy blanket was thrown over his head.

A few minutes later, his cousin who lives with the family, came home and found the intruders in the living room. He was then pistol-whipped, lost consciousness and was tied up alongside his cousin.

The robbers rifled through the house for more than half an hour and then fled in what appeared to be a black Toyota Corolla, according to witnesses and authorities.

The robbers stole a VCR, a stereo and a karaoke machine, among other electronic equipment, police said.

When the younger boy thought it was safe, he untied himself and ran to a neighbor’s house for help.

Robberies are unusual for the quiet residential neighborhood on Heidi Avenue, police and neighbors said.

Stuart Seldon has lived in the neighborhood for 12 years. “It is pretty strange that this would happen in broad daylight,” he said. “I guess having security pays. I own big guns.”

The younger boy said he believes the intruders knew his family because they asked him when his cousin, mother and father were coming home. His father said he is considering moving because the family fears for their safety.

For the older boy, who arrived in the United States six months ago from a refugee camp in Indonesia, the incident brought back memories of his mother and sister who were killed in a robbery at the camp.

“It has made him very scared,” said the father. “He is surprised that things like this happen in the U.S.”

Police have no suspects.