Three men who forced their way into a home in the 7200 block of
Church Street and assaulted a resident Tuesday night remained at
large as of early Wednesday afternoon, according to the Gilroy
Police Department.
Three men who forced their way into a home in the 7200 block of Church Street and assaulted a resident Tuesday night remained at large as of early Wednesday afternoon, according to the Gilroy Police Department.
Armed with a firearm, hammer and crowbar, the three suspects forced their way into the house after confronting the victim who answered the front door, police said. The victim was able to defend himself by disarming one of the suspects and striking him with the hammer on the head, according to a GPD press release.
All three suspects then fled towards the front of the residence onto Church Street. Nothing was taken during the incident, where police said at least one of the suspects demanded money from the victim. The victim, a 32-year-old who suffered several blunt force injuries to his head and body, was taken to a Bay Area hospital with nonlife threatening injuries and was later released, the GPD said.
The suspects’ motives and possible connection to the victim are under investigation, GPD Sgt. Chad Gallacinao said.
“We’ve interviewed quite a few people,” he said.
Gallacinao added, “It would be premature to speculate as to why the suspects chose this area.”
A neighbor on Church Street directed the Dispatch to what he said was the affected house. A man answered the door but declined to comment.
Police said three adult females and two children were also inside the house and were not injured after responding to the disturbance call at about 11:10 p.m.
Gallacinao said home invasions were not common in Gilroy.
“That’s an area of concern and that’s why were taking this investigation seriously,” he said.
The first suspect is described as 30-year-old, 6-foot Hispanic male weighing 160 pounds wearing a white colored “Halloween” type mask. The suspect was wearing a black-hooded sweatshirt, gray sweatpants and was armed with a sawed off rifle or shotgun.
The second suspect is described as a 30-year-old, 5-foot-6-inch Hispanic male weighing 160 pounds. He was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, gray sweatpants and was armed with a hammer.
The third suspect is described as 30-year-old, 5-foot-10-inch Hispanic male weighing 190 pounds. He was wearing a black-hooded sweatshirt, gray sweatpants and armed with a crowbar.
Gallacinao said there were several reasons why the victim may have been able to fend off the suspects. The ages, builds and experience levels of those involved, as well as the “level of commitment” to the confrontation, can contribute to the outcome of incidents similar to Tuesday night’s home invasion, Gallacinao said.
Gallacinao said he “wouldn’t be surprised” if the victim entered survival mode during the confrontation.
He said this was the first home invasion since April of 2010.
In the April 13, 2010 incident, 75-year-old Marcelino Cardenas Valencia and a 46-year-old man were beaten by at least one man with a baseball bat during a home invasion in the 1000 block of Montebello Drive.
Valencia died from severe head injuries two weeks later.
Police have not arrested a suspect in that case.
Anyone with information on Tuesday night’s robbery/attack may call GPD Detective Stan Devlin at 846-0335 or 800-782-7463 to remain anonymous.
