Riverside detectives not saying if rash of recent home invasion robberies connected
Two suspects armed with handguns broke into a Riverside home Tuesday morning, robbed the female resident and fled the scene located in the 1500 block of Kyle Court, in the Sycamore Canyon area.
This is the fourth home invasion robbery in the city in a month a half, and residents in Crystal Ridge Estates said they're officially launching a neighborhood watch. The police chief has also said catching the suspects are the their number one priority.
"Excellent neighborhood, we love it here, but as of late, as you know, we've had some issues," said Greg Chewe.
The first of the four home invasion robberies happened on April 10. A second one occurred on May 10, where an entire family on Ashton Lane was bound by duct tape and locked in the bathroom. Then, on May 15, in another incident a resident on Moss Road was shot multiple times.
The female resident robbed Tuesday morning lives in a different area of the city. She was not physically injured during the incident.
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"I'm praying for those folks. It's sad, but at least we are going to do something about it now," Chewe said.
The victims of the second robbery, who were bound with duct tape, spoke with CBSLA off camera and said they are recovering emotionally. They added that they also happen to be friends with the third victim who was shot and is now in stable condition.
On Monday night, residents attended an emergency neighborhood meeting hosted by the Riverside Police Department. Chief Larry Gonzalez, who also lives in Riverside, assured residents that the department has increased its police presence.
"We're actually getting more officers on the beat to where they can do the extra patrols, and not just in one area, but throughout the whole city," Chief Gonzalez said.
The police chief on Tuesday addressed the city council on the progress of the investigation. Though there are similarities in some of the incidents, detectives are not saying if the four robberies are connected.
In the meantime, Chief Gonzalez strongly recommended that residents double check their lights and security systems, and get to know their neighbors.
"We are not going to stop. We will be relentless until we get these guys in custody," the chief said.
