Orinda officials hope surveillance video offers clues in violent attack by masked men

ORINDA, Calif. -- Police investigators will begin examining surveillance video Thursday from the home of an Orinda couple who were violently attacked by two masked men Monday night.

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Police say Orinda Unified School District board Vice President Carol Brown was shot during the robbery, and her husband Tom Spalding was pistol whipped. Despite a manhunt, the two suspects are still at large. Police hope that the surveillance footage will lead to the suspects' capture.

Orinda Police Chief Mark Nagel says that Brown was making phone calls Tuesday morning from the hospital and is expected to recover.

"We are deeply relieved and grateful to know the injuries are not life threatening, and that Carol is receiving excellent care," said school board President Julie Rossiter and Superintendent Carolyn Seaton in a joint statement Tuesday. "It's hard to believe this violent act took place in our peaceful community."

Orinda police searched the crime scene with dogs and a helicopter, but were unable to locate the suspects. Brown's phone was later discovered in Alameda County, but Chief Nagel did not divulge a specific location pending the ongoing investigation.

RELATED: Couple viciously attacked during Orinda robbery

Police say they are not ruling anything out, including that the suspects knew the victims and targeted them.

Brown picked up her husband Tom Spalding from the nearby BART station just before 9 p.m. on Monday and went to the grocery store. Police say two masked men then followed home. The couple had arrived to their home in the first block of Claremont Avenure in the hills just after 9 p.m., after picking up some groceries at the nearby Safeway, said Chief Nigel.

They were unloading their groceries when they were approached by two male suspects both wearing masks. They asked for Spalding's wallet and then pistol-whipped him.

Spalding fled to the front door of the home to get inside and call 911. As he got to the porch he heard gunshots. The suspects ran from the area with the victims' property. Brown had been shot and was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Anyone with information about the crime is urged to contact the Orinda Police Department at (925) 254-6820.