Man Shot in Home Invasion Robbery; 2 Suspects Sought

As a homeowner in an upscale Pasadena neighborhood underwent surgery Friday for multiple gunshot wounds, police began the hunt for two men in ski masks who forced their way into his house in the early morning and shot him after he challenged them with a gun.

The pair of intruders, both of whom fired handguns, fled the home in the 600 block of Prospect Boulevard near the Rose Bowl after the confrontation about 2 a.m., Pasadena police said.

“Apparently that was enough for them and they left without taking anything,” said Pasadena Police Cmdr. Gary Bennett. “This is possibly connected with half a dozen home invasion robberies in the San Gabriel Valley in the last three months.”

But the incident is the first time the intruders fired shots.

The attack began when a man and woman leaving the home were grabbed by the intruders as they got into their car. The man was beaten and both were forced back into the house, police said. “But the commotion alerted people in the house,” Bennett said. “The homeowner proceeded to arm himself and when he confronted the two suspects they shot him several times.”

The homeowner, who was not identified by authorities, was in stable condition at Huntington Memorial Hospital after surgery, police said. Police describe the suspects as African American men last seen driving a white 1991 Buick station wagon with wood panels, which they apparently stole in Altadena.