Two men posing as repairmen pulled handguns and invaded a home
north of Gilroy at midday Tuesday, forcing two occupants to the
ground and tying them up. The robbers are still at large. The
suspects allegedly stole a car belonging to one of the victims, a
black 1994 Volkswagen Golf, as well as his wallet containing an
undisclosed amount of cash. They searched the house extensively,
the victims told sheriff
’s deputies, but nothing else was reported stolen as of press
time.
Two men posing as repairmen pulled handguns and invaded a home north of Gilroy at midday Tuesday, forcing two occupants to the ground and tying them up. The robbers are still at large.
The suspects allegedly stole a car belonging to one of the victims, a black 1994 Volkswagen Golf, as well as his wallet containing an undisclosed amount of cash. They searched the house extensively, the victims told sheriff’s deputies, but nothing else was reported stolen as of press time.
It was the second home invasion robbery in a week and a half, and sheriff’s officers acknowledged it is similar to one that took place Nov. 14 just north of Morgan Hill. In that incident, two Hispanic men believed to be in their mid 20s robbed resident family members at gunpoint, forced them to the floor, bound them and stole $52,000 in cash and two handguns. Sheriff’s officers can’t be sure the same men committed both crimes but are investigating that possibility.
“Yes, we do believe (the crimes are linked), but that’s just a suspicion right now,” Sheriff’s Lt. Larry Lopez said at the scene of Tuesday’s robbery – a Spanish-style house on Buena Vista Avenue that sits on a large, gated piece of property between Monterey Road and U.S. 101.
The couple that owns the home was not there at the time of the crime. In the house instead were two relatives, visiting from out of town.
As the robbers approached the house Tuesday, they reportedly told the occupants they had come to make a repair. They then drew handguns and entered the house.
As with the Morgan Hill robbery, the two robbers were dressed in construction-type clothing and were described as Hispanic males in their mid-20s who spoke both Spanish and English. Both robberies also occurred around midday.
The suspects may well have been looking for a large stash of cash, like that stolen from the Morgan Hill robbery, Lopez said.
The victim family in the Morgan Hill robbery owns several Mexican restaurants around the county, according to a neighbor who asked to remain anonymous to avoid ill-will. One of the Buena Vista homeowners is a distribution manager for Mission Foods, which makes tortillas and other Mexican food, according to Lt. Lopez.
After the robbers left, the victims remained tied up for some time before they were able to free themselves and call police at 12:57 p.m. They reportedly did not see whether the robbers used any vehicle other than the stolen one.
The stolen Volkswagen had 18-inch chrome wheel rims and a California license plate, number 2SLL039.
The robbers in the Morgan Hill incident got away in a white Chevrolet pickup without license plates, according to investigators. A third suspect drove the vehicle and waited outside in it while the robbers entered the house, which sits at the end of a long, private driveway on Kirby Avenue north of the city and is not visible from the road.
In a new development, the Morgan Hill victim family is offering a $5,000 reward for any information about the invasion and robbery of their home.
Sheriff’s officials encourage anyone with information relating to the Gilroy robbery to call Detective Sgt. Dean Baker at 808-4500. Anyone with information about the Morgan Hill incident is asked to call Detective Randy Bynum at the same number. People with information about either reported crime can also call the Sheriff’s Department at 808-4400 (a 24-hour line) or – to remain anonymous – the Sheriff’s Tip Line at 808-4431.
