Armed Men Posing As Utility Co. Workers Rob Homeowners Of $10K
WESTCHESTER (CBSLA.com) — Two men posing as gas company workers robbed a Westchester couple of $10,000 at gunpoint on Wednesday.
The home invasion happened around 9:30 a.m. in the 7400 block of El Manor Avenue.
The suspects knocked on the homeowners' door and pretended to be meter readers from the L.A. Department of Water and Power, according to Lt. Ed Pape from the Los Angeles Police Department.
Chris Diver, the victims' neighbor, said, "The (suspects) knocked on the door and said, 'Your gas bill has been very high. We need to check your stove.' And they let them in."
Detectives said the two men then asked the couple to show them their valuables.
One of the suspects reportedly pistol-whipped the homeowner when he failed to remember the combination to a safe.
The men fled with the safe in a car described as a white Chevy Malibu.
Diver said the female victim immediately came to her door.
"She banged on the screen and then rang the doorbell and rang the doorbell," she said. "It didn't register to me at first that her hands were zip-tied and she had tape across her mouth."
The first suspect is described as a Hispanic man between 25 to 35 years old. He was wearing blue jeans, tan boots and sunglasses.
The second suspect was described as a black man with short hair between 25 to 35 years old. He was wearing a blue shirt and blue pants.
Both men were wearing orange vests.
Anyone with information on the crime is encouraged to contact police.
