Family Targeted in Home Break-In

Three assailants made off with clothes, televisions, a 1987 Toyota and $100 in cash in a home-invasion robbery on Laurel Canyon Boulevard, police said Wednesday.

The robbers, two men and a woman, acted on street information that the family kept a lot of money in their home, police Lt. Jeff Hulet said.

Just after 11:10 p.m. Tuesday, one of the assailants knocked on the door in the 9800 block of Laurel Canyon Boulevard and asked for one of the residents by name, Hulet said.

When the door was opened, the three burst inside, tied the residents and threatened them with a shotgun or rifle, police said.

There is no evidence that the assailants knew anything about the victims beyond their name, Hulet said.

Although he would not disclose specific information about the victims, Hulet said home-invasion robbers often target immigrants from countries that do not have good banking systems. Instead of entrusting savings to banks, some immigrants keep money in their home and word of that sometimes gets out to thieves, he said.

After ransacking the house, the assailants drove off in the victims’ blue, two-door Tercel, license plate 2DQH271, Hulet said.

No one was hurt.

Given the measures taken by businesses to ward off thieves, Hulet said home invasions are becoming increasingly common.

“The business of becoming a business robber is becoming less cost-effective,” Hulet said. Home invasions “are not an everyday occurrence, but it’s happening more now.”