The Centralia Police Department is investigating a reported home invasion and robbery on the city’s west side early Sunday morning — an investigation that currently lacks any fresh leads, said a detective.
Three adult male victims reported two suspects entered their house in the 900 block of Sunrise Lane at around 4:30 a.m. Sunday after knocking on the door, said Detective Sgt. Carl Buster.
The suspects, while at the door, asked for one of the people in the house by name before forcing their way into the house, said Buster, who was referencing investigative reports.
It was a relatively quick encounter, he said, with the suspects not spending much time in the house. One of the suspects was armed with a black handgun, the victims told police, and pistol-whipped two or three of the victims.
One of them went to the hospital with a cut from being struck by the gun, but didn’t require any extended hospitalization, said Buster.
The three victims reported being gathered into one part of the house and forced onto their knees. The two suspects demanded money, wallets and cellphones, which they received and left the house.
Police reports indicate officers were dispatched to the house at 5:41 a.m. Sunday.
Buster said the victims provided one lead, however that lead has since been exhausted. The victims said they were told to look at the ground, rather than at the suspects. Buster said they didn’t provide any substantial description of their assailants other than they appeared to be Hispanic.
Buster said police don’t yet have enough information to determine whether the reported robbery was a random occurrence or if the victims were specifically targeted.
When asked whether the reported incident constitutes a serious concern for the community he replied: “I would say no, because we don’t have a pattern of it right now.”
He recommended that anyone who receives a knock on the door check to see who’s there before answering. If you don’t recognize the person, he said, try to determine what they might be there for.
