The family inside the home was a man, woman, and child. The family is OK, even though the man was pistol-whipped.
"I came out here and there was at least nine police cars an ambulance and everything," said Monica MacDonald, a neighbor.
MacDonald caught the aftermath of the home invasion robbery at the house on Farrell Street Wednesday morning. Police tell us the two men responsible said they were with PG&E and needed to check on a gas leak. One was even wearing a PG&E hard hat and PG&E vest. So they looked legit, but once inside, they duct taped the man and woman. A child was also home at the time.
"They put the mother in a bath tub and put the 6-year-old with her, so the mother held onto the 6-year-old," said Vallejo Police Lt. John Whitney.
Eventually, the man gave the robbers $1,800 so they would leave and they did. The family was then able to call police. Neighbors are now concerned for their own safety.
"I was really kind of shocked because I thought this was a pretty nice neighborhood," said Ava Williams, a neighbor.
Williams just moved in across the street on Friday and says she'll now get a security door for her house. She's also thankful for all the dogs on the block.
MacDonald has a dog and is also trying to organize a Neighborhood Watch.
"We might be exchanging numbers and starting something just because we have a lot of elderly people that live on this block," said MacDonald.
Vallejo police say they've dealt with this type of home invasion before, so if a work crew shows up at your home that you weren't expecting, call the company to verify. Just checking an ID may not be enough because it could be fake.
"You could spend 20 minutes with your Microsoft Word program and make one with a picture and nobody would know the better," said Whitney.
The first suspect is described as a Hispanic adult male, 5'9", 150 lbs. with a light complexion, goatee, brown hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a PG&E orange hard hat, a PG&E orange vest and blue jeans.
The second suspect is described as a black adult male, 29-32 years old, 5'9", 185-200 lbs. with a muscular build, dark complexion, scruffy goatee and beard. He was wearing a white t-shirt, brown belt, blue jeans and brown boots with rubber toes.
A neighbor says the getaway vehicle was a gold Escalade with 20-inch rims.
