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A violent home invasion robbery may have been a case of mistaken identity.
The people who live at the home near 1700 South and 400 East moved in only three months ago. Police say robbers who broke in overnight may have been looking for the previous tenants.
Just after midnight, three men carrying handguns kicked in the front door. One of the victims told KSL the men used zip ties on his hands and feet and covered him with blankets. He says they tied up another roommate and kicked that person in the face. They and two other victims were forced to stay in a bedroom.
Police say a fifth roommate was downstairs. When she heard the commotion, she escaped through a bathroom window.
Police say the intruders told the victims they were looking for "the black man and the goods." They searched every room.
Lt. Fred Louis with the Salt Lake City Police Department said, "They went through the home, searching each room. They removed the two laptops, the gaming systems and a cell phone and then fled from the residence."
The victims told police that the suspects were wearing masks and dressed in dark clothing. They said the three men did not say much as they searched the home.
"They were wearing masks, so it was hard to tell exactly who they were. But as far as we can tell, the occupants do not know the suspects," Louis said.
None of the people inside the home at the time the three men broke in was seriously injured; however, Louis says everyone was shaken up.
Neighbors we spoke to this morning say this is not the first time something like this has happened. In May, two men walked into the house next door and shot a young man watching TV inside.
That young man was Rita Horton's son. She said, "Two guys broke in and ransacked the house. And one held a gun on him and wanted money. He told them he didn't have money. And so when they finished doing what they wanted to do, they shot him in the leg and left."
Police say there are not sure if the two incidents are related. Earlier they said this morning's invasion was a random attack. But the Hortons and other neighbors who live in the area say enough is enough.
Neighbor Penny Richards said, "We are planning to move. I worry when the grandkids come, the little ones, ‘cause I don't want them outside. You don't know what's going to happen."
Horton said, "It hurts me, it makes me very angry, you know, that someone can do that to you, ‘cause it really does hurt your life."
Horton's son is home now; he spent several months in the hospital recovering. They tell us they plan to move at the end of the year.
The victims in today's home invasion tell us they will move out of the house by the end of the day.
E-mail: spark@ksl.com
