Two men have been arrested after wearing tactical vests and breaking into a home in an attempt to rob it while looking like law enforcement. According to CBSnews.com the men used stun guns on children in the home as well.
Authorities have revealed that 2 adults and 5 children were in the Clinton, North Carolina home on Tuesday night when the home invasion took place.
Four people in the home were treated for stun gun wounds, including a 4 month old. An eleven-year-old girl who hid in the closet during the break-in called for help. After one of the intruders found her he pointed a gun at her head and threatened to kill her.
According to CBSnews.com,
“It is despicable that someone would torture children, and for what? A little cash,” Sampson County Sheriff Jimmy Thornton said in a statement. “I am thankful that we were able to capture at least two of the three individuals responsible for this heinous act. We will continue to work diligently to identify the third suspect.”
The two men in custody, WRAL reported, were identified as Naquan Lavert Bryant, 20, and Rashad Eugene Curlee, 26, both of Raleigh. Both are charged with numerous counts including kidnapping, robbery, assault by pointing a gun, assault on a child under 12 and attempted first-degree forcible rape.
Other charges include impersonation of a law enforcement officer, interfering with emergency communications and resisting officers.
Deputies responding to a call saw two men running in opposite directions away from the home in Sampson County. One man was captured a short distance away, while the second man was tracked down by a K-9 team in a wooded area behind the home.
When it’s initially happening it’s almost impossible for a homeowner to tell the difference between a break-in and a no-knock raid down by police or a SWAT team. And in this case, the criminals were actually wearing apparel that read “SWAT” on them, possibly making the situation even more confusing.
These two men should actually consider themselves lucky that there was not a gun pointed back at them when they entered the house. We have reported on cases where homeowners have mistakenly shot law enforcement in no-knock raids.