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3 Robbers Ransack Home Near Whittier, Threaten Retired Couple With Guns

WHITTIER (CBSLA.com) — Investigators searched for three armed men who committed a home-invasion robbery near Whittier Wednesday night.

Three men burst into the home of a retired couple in the 12100 block of Washington Boulevard at about 9:40 p.m., Los Angeles County Sheriff's Sgt. Pablo Partida said.

One of the men was armed with an assault-type rifle and the other two had handguns, one of the victims, Celia, told CBS2 Thursday. They fled after taking jewelry and money. They were not wearing masks.

Celia said she was watching TV when she realized she had left groceries in the trunk of her car. She said she went outside, grabbed the groceries and had just entered the front door when she was confronted by the suspects.

"They put us in the room, 'go in there and don't come out until after five minutes. If you do, you're going to be dead,'" Celia said.

Celia and her husband were not injured.

"Never in 42 years living here has this happened," Celia said.

There was no security cameras in the home or any of the surrounding homes, deputies said.

The sheriff's department confirmed that a similar home invasion occurred in Cerritos about two hours later. In that case, a man working in his garage was approached by a suspect and hit in the head with a gun. Then two other men went inside and ransacked the victim's home. Detectives are working to determine if the two incidents are linked.

Anyone with information on the crime can call the sheriff's Pico Rivera station at 562-949-2421.

(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)

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