Three men in ski masks attacked Fred Baker in the alley, and then ransacked his home.
"I was taking out the trash and three guys came up to me and tied me up with duct tape,” said Baker. “And they left me in the garage."
Lt. Muyres says the gunman then handed the weapon to his partner while he took off a screen and crawled inside a window of the home. A couple living at the home were both asleep inside, and the noise of the intruder awakened the woman, who confronted him in her son's bedroom. She ran to wake up her husband, who then found the gunman making off with the PS3 gaming system. The intruder crawled back out the window and the men fled.
Man breaks into two homes in St. Paul's North End, attacks occupants
By Mara H. Gottfried
mgottfried@pioneerpress.com
Updated: 12/21/2009 12:54:54 PM CST
St. Paul police are searching for a man who broke into two homes this morning, assaulted a homeowner in one case and tied up an elderly resident and her 4-year-old granddaughter in the other.
In what Minneapolis police are calling a highly unusual attack, a man broke into a residence in the Phillips West neighborhood early Thursday and sexually assaulted two teenage girls.
He was found Saturday covered in blood in his apartment building hallway, crying for help with more blood gushing from his head.
A home armed invasion over prescription drugs has landed one suspect in jail.
The incident happened Saturday afternoon at a residence on the Fond du Lac Reservation.
Witnesses say a masked gunman entered the home and demanded prescription drugs.
A man tied up an 81-year-old woman during a St. Paul home invasion robbery today and it was at least seven hours before she was found with her hands and legs bound, police said. The woman was not injured.
The man apparently used a ruse to break into the woman's home in the Highland Park neighborhood, said Sgt. Paul Schnell, police spokesman.
The woman, who was not sexually assaulted, told police that early in the morning, before sunrise, she heard a noise near her front door in the 1100 block of St. Paul Avenue. Sunrise was 7:37 a.m. Monday.
When the woman went to check, she saw a man at the door. He said her neighbor's home was being broken into, and asked her to call police.
One of two men suspected in a home invasion in St. Paul that led to gunfire being exchanged is in custody this morning after being shot by the homeowner, police said.
After realizing they forgot something they returned home to find the back door kicked in and someone burglarizing their home.
They recognized the suspect who then fled and was chased by one of the residents who then fought with suspect.
A St. Cloud resident reported early Friday that someone demanding money tried to break into his home.
A resident of the 100 block of 16th Avenue South said he was awakened by banging at his front door, Sgt. Lloyd Orth said. The homeowner confronted a man who was standing outside his front door and who had broken a window pane on the door. The man demanded money.
...the victim called in about 9:30 p.m. today and said he had stopped in to check on his mother’s house while she is in the hospital.
“It was supposed to be vacant,” Anderson said. “But he caught an intruder inside, there was some kind of struggle and the victim was cut with a knife.”
The woman said she could see a man in the office and went back to her bedroom to avoid being seen, and called police. She heard what sounded like a man running down the stairs.
A man has been sentenced to 36 months in prison in connection to a daytime home invasion robbery in Lake Elmo where a man was pistol whipped and doused with gasoline.
A pizza delivery guy was among the reported victims of an apartment robbery Sunday in Moorhead, and three armed suspects are still on the run, police said.
Police received a report of a robbery at about 8:30 p.m. at 908 8th St. S. The tenants of the first-floor unit said three armed men wearing masks forced their way inside and robbed their home at gunpoint.
A man invaded the home of an elderly man just before noon Thursday, tied him up and took his valuables, according to St. Paul police.
The suspect stopped at the man's house Wednesday on the 1700 block of E. Ivy Avenue and asked to do yard work, but the man declined, police said. The suspect forced entry into the man's home Thursday, struck him, tied him up and robbed him.
St. Cloud police are looking for information about two men with a handgun who walked into an unlocked home.
[snip]
Two residents were home at the time. They were not injured.
Police were called at 4:32 a.m. and were told that someone had entered the residence through an unlocked door and stole numerous items including textbooks, musical equipment and electronics. The residents were home at the time of the burglary.
Three people are in custody for allegedly burglarizing dozens OF homes in Becker and Otter Tail counties since early September.The home invasion details:
Two of the suspects, both 18-year-old males, were arrested in downtown Detroit Lakes Saturday morning following a home invasion on Little Floyd Lake overnight.
The suspects allegedly entered a home on Little Floyd Lake early Saturday morning as residents were asleep, resulting in the theft of a vehicle, among other items, Gordon said.
A woman was sexually assaulted In her home on Saturday in the 3400-block of Polk Street Northeast in the Waite Park Neighborhood.
Police say a man stalked and targeted the woman, waited until she was alone, then broke into her apartment and sexually assaulted her.
A burglar entered a St. Cloud home Sunday and took items from the kitchen while the resident was downstairs, according to St. Cloud police.
The two were seen going into an alley by the home, climbing a fence and walking to a side garage door.
While speaking about the report to the 41-year-old man who owns the home, an officer and the man became aware of the 15-year-old boy hiding in a nearby closet, the complaint says.
While allegedly attempting to break into a residence in the Ottertail mobile home court, 18-year-old Koal Timothy Shamp was shot in the hip by the resident of the home.
[snip]
“I know these people and why they’re trying to break in,” said Brandt in an interview Thursday, referring to the two suspects as "punk thug criminals." Brandt believes they were "trying to come in and hurt me bad."
St. Cloud police officers met Friday with a 52-year-old St. Cloud resident who reported being assaulted and robbed inside his apartment by three unknown males.
Police say one man took cash from the victim’s pocket while another held the victim and another punched him.
Two Harvey, N.D., men were arrested Thursday in connection with a home invasion Wednesday night in Sabin, Minn., authorities said this morning.
[snip]
The owner of the farmhouse, who was tied to a chair outside prior to two men entering his home, was able to identify the suspects despite their masks, Bergquist said.
Kwame Mohammed Kiwanuka was arrested at a residence in the 400 block of Lime Street after a man there reported someone who broke into his house had threatened him.
The man said he heard someone enter his house. He went to investigate after hearing a noise in the back yard.
A Fergus Falls man has been charged with two counts of first degree burglary after kicking down the door of a local home last week.
Authorities say Troy Macheel, 34, broke down the door of a home on 19th Street, then threatened residents with a door jamb when they attempted to called police.
Police said two men came into the victim's home, one of them wielding a knife. The victim claimed to know one of the two suspects.
A teenager who was watching television late Sunday suffered a minor knife wound when someone tried to push their way into his Rochester residence.
The 17-year-old boy told police he heard a knock on the door and that as he was opening it, someone pushed it, trying to get inside, according to police Capt. Brian Winters. An arm reached inside, and there was a knife in the person's hand. The teen suffered a minor cut to his arm before the suspect fled.
A woman woke up early today to the sound of running water and a man's voice in her northwest Rochester residence.
St. Cloud police arrested two brothers after a pregnant woman was bound and she and her infant were threatened with a handgun and had their home ransacked early Wednesday.
Police were called at 6:46 a.m. Wednesday about a home invasion robbery that happened in the 700 block of 18th Avenue South. A 27-year-old woman woke up to find two masked men armed with handguns at the foot of her bed, Sgt. Marty Sayre said.
| In the worst case scenario, the intruder has made it through all of your layers. He has decided your well-lit house is worth entering. He has bypassed your locks and ignored your alarm. Your dog is incapacitated, and he has entered your safe-room before the police have had a chance to arrive. Here, you are left to rely on your training. Consider getting a gun and gun training. There is no more effective method of self defense than a gun in trained hands. Don’t get the gun without getting training. The NRA offers courses all around the country for a generally reasonable fee. Don’t treat the gun as a magic talisman to ward off evil. If you are planning to have a gun for self defense, you must be willing to use the gun. It won’t scare off intruders if you are not willing to use it. If a gun in impractical, for whatever reason, consider unarmed self defense training. Your training should include the legal aspect of using force-particularly lethal force-if the necessity arises. No matter your method of training, never give up! If you can disrupt the script in the intruder’s head, you stand a much better chance of surviving unscathed. Remember, your home provides the privacy necessary to effectively transform it into a “secondary crime scene” at the whim of a criminal. Don’t let it happen to you. |
Police responded at 10:40 p.m. Thursday to a burglary. An unknown person entered the apartment’s unlocked front door, while the victim was there, and had stolen various medications. The value of the medications is not known.
A man wearing only a women's thong was arrested in Minneapolis for entering and stealing from an apartment, according to police.
Wednesday, officers responded to a call from an adult female that a partially nude man, 19-year-old Steven Whitten, had allegedly entered her 1401 6th St. SE apartment while she was sleeping.
The female reported that when she woke up she asked who the man was. He then fled her room and the apartment.
MENDOTA HEIGHTS, Minn. -- Police in Mendota Heights are seeking the public's help to find a man who assaulted a woman while her children were in the next room.
Last night at 10:08 PM Patrick, his brother Chris, Chris’s friend Josh and I were sitting at our dining room table after a great meal together we were robbed at gun point INSIDE OUR HOME WHILE WE WERE HERE. We had grilled out and had the back door open, our bad but who would think a group of people would be so bold as to walk into our house with us here. Everyone is OK but VERY shook up.
Officials say two masked males attempted to invade a home in southern Brunswick Township shortly after 11 a.m. The suspects ran up to the owners of the home, who were outside, and sprayed them with a chemical.
The owners were able to grab a gun to scare the men away.
Mower County Sheriff Terese Amazi is reminding people to lock their doors at night after a rural Dexter couple was burglarized early Monday morning.
According to reports, the couple went to bed without locking the doors and woke up the next morning to find the woman's purse emptied on the counter. Missing was $38 in cash.
Police say families in two Cloquet homes were fast asleep when the intruders walked in through unlocked doors and took gaming equipment, computer accessories, a purse, and more.
SARTELL — Sartell police are investigating a home invasion and armed robbery in which a 74-year-old woman was bound while a masked man ransacked the home.
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The man entered the unlocked south Sartell home Thursday afternoon, according to a report from Sartell police. He was carrying a handgun. He covered the woman’s head and bound her.
A teen has been charged in the death of a man inside his south Minneapolis apartment.
Police said 18-year-old Arturo Andres Rocha-Campiz was charged Thursday in the death Monday of 32-year-old Juan Francisco Canas Ramirez.
Charging documents suggest robbery may have been the motive in the stabbing death of a man in Minneapolis this week.
A home invasion was reported by a female resident of Rush Point Drive, Fish Lake Township, about 10:20 p.m. June 26.
Authorities were advised the woman, 46, was home alone and heard someone knocking at her door but did not answer due to the late hour. The door was broken down by two white males, who rushed the homeowner, knocked her to the floor and discharged cans of WD-40 onto her person.
A Savage man faces charges he broke into a Burnsville home through the kitchen window on Monday and caused a nine-month-old child to fall and hit her head.
He then told the woman he was going to kill her, according to the complaint against him.
A 38-year-old man was attacked by two men in the entry of his home Sunday night.
Police were called to the 1500 block of Oak Grove Road Southwest at 11:45 p.m. The man sustained severe cuts to his face and was taken to St. Cloud Hospital.
A St. Paul couple heard the sound of someone in their home in the middle of the night and found a drunk, naked stranger, police said.
According to police, Whitfield and two other suspects broke into a man's home and stole his car, cologne, and a set of commemorative coins.
When the 52-year-old homeowner woke up, officers said the men stabbed him in the head and back, before setting his house on fire.
MOORHEAD, Minn. - Police say a Moorhead man shot and killed an intruder who walked into his unlocked apartment.
Lt. Tory Jacobson says the resident confronted the man and yelled at him to leave. He says when he didn't leave, a fight ensued. The resident then allegedly got his shotgun, which went off during a struggle.
Police detained the apartment resident for questioning.
Charges were filed Monday against an Iona man who allegedly broke into a house in the middle of the night and entered the bedroom of a 17-year-old girl while she was sleeping.
According to the criminal complaint filed in Dakota County, James Albert Silbernagel, 41, came into the boy's house last Thursday while the boy was showering.
Silbernagel, who lives in the same neighborhood, was permitted to use the phone earlier in the day while the victim's mother was home. She later told police that they are not friends and Silbernagel had never been invited into the home without permission.
Their bedroom door was closed, but Izzy seemed to sense something on the other side.
"She knew something was wrong," says Maggie.
Within seconds Tom was standing at his daughter's doorway staring that something in the face. "It was a silhouette of a man sitting in a chair next to my daughter's bed."
Maggie called 9-1-1, while Tom made sure the intruder would be waiting when police arrived. "He made a quick dart for the door but I was standing right by him and I was able to grab him and put him onto the ground and told him he wasn't going anywhere."
BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. -- Authorities are investigating after eight people were bound and robbed early Monday morning inside a Brooklyn Center home.
Around 4 a.m. Monday morning, four suspects entered an apartment on the 6600 block of Humboldt Avenue, duct taped eight people inside the residence and emptied their pockets.
Reynolds tells 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS what makes the home invasion more disturbing, is the fact their police department is approximately 100 feet away from the apartment.
St. Cloud police are investigating a burglary that was reported Saturday. The incident occurred Friday night in the 300 block of Fifth Avenue North.
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When officers arrived, they learned that two victims had left the main door of their residence unlocked when they went to sleep and awoke to find items were stolen.
A 23-year-old Austin man appeared in court Tuesday for allegedly burglarizing two southwestern Austin homes in the past month while the residents were there.
On Monday, police Lt. John Mueller said there were no signs of forced entry in the burglaries.
Early Thursday morning, several people forced their way into a home in St. Anthony, assaulted the residents and stole from them.
It happened around 3 a.m. at a home on Stinson Boulevard NE near 36th Avenue NE.
The victims told St. Anthony police several armed individuals forced open a door, attacked them and fled with some of their belongings.
Most bedrooms can be converted to a safe room in which you can securely isolate yourself from intruders for a minimal cost. If an intruder enters your house, this is the room in which the family should gather. The door should be reinforced, and there should be a way to call for help. I strongly suggest you put your cell phone charger in this room and keep your cell phone in this room at night. When you enter your safe room in an emergency, first brace the door, then call the police.
To upgrade a room to a safe room, install a solid-core door with a 2x4 brace against the floor using these steps(as explained by Prof. Joe Olson):
Deputies arrested seven people they believe were involved in a home burglary, and hurt the person inside.
The Houston County, Minnesota Sheriff's Department says five adults and two juveniles face multiple charges including first-degree burglary.
Daniel Thomas Saba, 37, of Shorewood was charged with first-degree burglary over a break-in at a Chanhassen home Wednesday. Saba was on administrative leave from the department prior to his arrest.
Victim reports second sexual assault in neighborhood
April 7, 2009 (MINNEAPOLIS) Yesterday afternoon a 32 year old woman was sexually assaulted a second time in her home near the Standish and Corcoran neighborhood border. The woman, who was home alone at the time, opened her back door and the suspect forced his way into the home and then sexually assaulted the victim. After the assault the suspect fled from the home.
The suspect in this case is described as a white male 30-40 years old, 6’ tall and 180 to 200 lbs with grey hair. The suspect is described as wearing a grey sweatshirt and navy colored cargo pants. The victim did not sustain significant injuries but was taken to the hospital as a precaution.
In the previous case on April 23rd the victim was sexually assaulted in her garage. The suspect in that case is an unknown race male 20 to 40 years old, 5’09” to 6’ tall with a medium build wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt and jeans.
The Minneapolis Police Sex Crimes Unit is investigating this case and the Third Precinct will be putting additional resources into the area. Residents in the area are asked to call 911 to report any suspicious behavior in the area.
Police are asking that anyone with information about this case contact the Sex Crimes Unit at 612-673-3049.
The PIO contact for this case is Sgt. William Palmer. The CCN for this case is 09-133350. The CCN for the April 23rd case is 09-118099.
# # #
For questions, contact:
Karen Notsch, Crime Prevention Specialist
Minneapolis Police Department, 3rd Precinct
(612) 673-2856
karen.notsch@ci.minneapolis.mn.us
To Protect With Courage
To Serve With Compassion###
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On April 27th, 28-year-old Bryan Franklin and Stewart forced their way into a home on the 400 block of west Alcott Avenue.
The two men assaulted the homeowner, damaged property and stole items.
As they left, they kidnapped a juvenile male.
An 18-year-old man tried to break into a Winona apartment Wednesday night, threatened to kill the occupant and fled when officers arrived, police said.
When most people think of home security, they think of monitored alarm systems. Alarm systems don’t have to be monitored and they don’t have to be a “budget buster.” There are too many options both for installation and monitoring to fit within the scope of this primer.
Unmonitored, wireless security systems can be had for as little as $100. These can be programmed to turn on your lights and trigger an audible alarm. These alarms serve primarily as an "early warning system". They prevent an intruder from entering your home unannounced. Some of them can dial outside numbers, to ask a neighbor to check on your house.
Monitored security systems can make sure the police are summoned, even if you are unable to use the phone. If you avoid the big name alarm companies, it is possible to get a monitored alarm system installed for under $500 and pay less than $10 per month for the monitoring service. Some of these systems monitor for fire or water, too.
Consider getting a dog. Dogs won’t provide effective and reliable protection, unless specifically trained for it, but they make a great early warning system, if you are willing to investigate when they bark. Smaller dogs often provide a better “bark alarm” than big dogs. Big dogs, however, prove a better deterrent to a potential burglar. Any dog will provide some deterrent to burglars. Do not get a dog with the intention of assuming it is a guard dog, unless you are willing to get a dog professionally trained to guard. Dogs should be considered an early warning system and potential deterrent. Beyond that, dogs should be treated as family. If you can’t commit to properly caring for a dog, don't get one.
In short, lock your doors, lock your windows, and do whatever you can to keep someone from getting into your home unannounced.A man and his wife were shot in their St. Paul home this afternoon, in what police say was a botched home invasion robbery. Their five children were home, but not injured.
The couple, who are in their 40s, were each shot once and are believed to have non-life-threatening injuries, said Peter Panos, police spokesman. They were taken to Regions Hospital, have had surgery and are recovering, he said.
It was just after noon on the 400 block of Blair Avenue in St. Paul when police said an intruder forced his way into the home.
...
Shooting sounds rattled this St. Paul neighborhood when the family living in the home was overtaken by a gunman who opened fire.
...
Police said the couple recognized the shooter and believe the motive was robbery.
...
A home invasion was reported in Rice Lake Township on Monday.
A male victim was inside a residence when two white male assailants made a forced entry at 10:23 a.m.
A 16-year-old boy has been charged after police say he broke into a Brooklyn Park home and assaulted the 82-year-old homeowner.
Christopher Lamor Johnson, of Brooklyn Park, allegedly beat the homeowner so badly that he sustained serious injuries and had to be taken to North Memorial Medical Center so doctors could stop hemorrhaging in the victim’s head.
A Litchfield man was arrested early today after he broke down the door of a residence while the people inside were sleeping, according to St. Cloud police.
Police are looking for two people who broke into a southeast Rochester home Monday morning, pistol-whipped a resident, then fled before police surrounded the area.
The two were arrested in Winona County shortly after a Yucatan Township resident reported being robbed of money at his home late Friday by two or possibly three men, one thought to be armed with a gun, according to the Houston County Sheriff’s Department.
FRIDAY:
Burglary of Occupied Dwelling;
4XXColfax Ave N
Three white males went into the home and assaulted the two occupants. The victims were assaulted and suffered minor injuries (EMS was refused).
SATURDAY:
BURGD
41XX Colfax Ave N
Victim’s stated that three W/M’s suspects and one W/F suspect broke into their house and told the victim’s that they had guns. The suspects then took several items from the home i.e.: laptop computer, cash cards, money etc. The suspects were last seen heading westbound in a light colored 4 door vehicle.
A teenage girl was the victim of a home invasion and assault at around 5:54 p.m. Monday evening at her south Main Street home.
The female, 17, was home alone at waiting for a dad when according to police reports, she heard the door open and close.
She called out asking if she could go to the YMCA, thinking it was her dad, but when she got no answer she got up and went to the kitchen to see a man wearing a ski mask and holding a knife.
The girl screamed at which time the intruder reportedly charged her and knocked her to the ground. During the ensuing the struggle, the girl’s shirt was ripped and the knife cut her right cheek.
The man also allegedly choked her and punched her in the face.
The girl eventually escaped the man and ran for a side door of the home. Once outside, the girl told police that she observed a Hispanic male, approximately 30 years of age, 5-8 with shaved head and wearing a gray hooded shirt and black pants standing near the back door. The girl ran to the Moose Lodge where she called for help. Both men were gone when police arrived.
According to police the incident seems random, and the investigation is on-going.
Your doors should be locked regardless of the time of day. Home invasions can and do occur at all hours. Intruders no longer save their activities for the dark half of the day. You should have a heavy-duty strike-plate and you should always use at least 3 inch screws to secure the strike-plate. This will secure the strike plate to the wall framing, instead of to the door trim. There are also "full-height" strike plates available. These are steel trim extending the height of the door. Attach this with 3" screws, and it becomes very difficult to kick in your door.
Ideally, your exterior doors will be solid doors, as opposed to solid-core(wood-filled) or solid-core(foam filled). A steel-clad wooden door or a steel-center solid-core door are acceptable choices.
You should invest in a secure set of locks that are resistant to bump-keying. Look for the ANSI rating on the locks. An ANSI Grade 1 lock is twice as secure as ANSI Grade 2. Grade 3 should not be considered for an exterior door. Kwikset is currently marketing ANSI Grade 1, bumpkey-resistant lock sets to the residential market for a reasonable price. Schlage and Medeco both have high-end lines of lock sets that are very secure. There are others, so please don't consider this to be an all-exclusive list of locks. Do some research before you buy the primary means of securing your home.
If you have a window within arm's reach of your deadbolt, get a double-cylinder deadbolt that requires a key to unlock.
These considerations also apply to a door leading to an attached garage. The connection between your house and garage should always be considered an external entry point. If an intruder has access to your garage, he can attempt to circumvent the entry to the house in complete privacy.
Your patio door is also a prime point of vulnerability. Putting a broomstick in the bottom track isn't enough. Invest in a $13 "Charlie Bar" to keep that door secure. A Charlie Bar is mounted at the vertical middle of the stationary panel of your patio door. It removes the leverage that a stick at the bottom of the door leaves available to an intruder. Some versions can be set to allow the door to open a few inches for air flow.
If someone claiming to be law enforcement is at your door and you are suspicious about that claim (e.g. no squad car visible), lack of appropriate attire or credentials), simply call the 911 dispatcher to get confirmation of their identity. No legitimate law enforcement officer is going to be offended when you verify their identity.
Your windows should also be locked. Casement (crank) windows or double-hung windows with a pin-lock or brace provide more security than regular double hung windows left open. If you can’t secure a window while it is partially open, it should be closed and locked on any floor of the home.
Lock your car in the driveway. If you have a garage door opener in your car, this could give easy access to your home. If you have personal papers in your car, this opens you up to identity theft.
If at all possible, consider locking your bedroom door at night. This can mean the difference between waking up to an intruder standing over you and waking up to someone trying to break down your bedroom door. This isn't always possible, or desirable, especially if you have children.
Police said they received a report of a suspicious man knocking on doors of houses. Officers found the man’s pickup and tried to stop him at Stearns County Road 120 and Minnesota Highway 15, police said. The driver sped off, reaching speeds of about 90 mph. The pursuit lasted for 13.4 miles and ended near Stearns County Road 47 and Minnesota Highway 23 after hitting spike strips that a Stearns County deputy had placed. The driver tried to run away and was arrested with help from a Waite Park police dog.
CCN: 40120
Burglary of Dwelling
3114 Thomas
23:23 hrs
Victims report 3 suspects forced entry into their dwelling and they had guns. Officers arrived and checked the residence. One suspect was apprehended inside the residence. No injuries to the victims or loss. No guns located. The 2 other suspects fled on foot before officers arrived. One adult booked HCJ. Sqd 462 handled.
CHASKA - A Chaska woman is recovering after a home invasion and assault Tuesday morning. Around 5 a.m., the Chaska Police Department was dispatched to the Riverview Terrace Mobile Home Park on reports of an assault.
An adult female was grabbed from behind in her own home, and had a rag soaked in purple cement stuffed in her face.
On February 8, 2009 at 8:50 p.m., officers responded to a 911 call from a home on the 3700 block of 13th Ave. S., where three suspects attempted to enter a home that was occupied.
The homeowner, who was with his family, responded to a knock at the door. A female at the door told the homeowner that she’d had an accident in back and that his car was hit. A male with a handgun then stepped out from behind her and attempted to gain entry to the home. A third male was also seen behind the female.
The homeowner was able to push the first suspect out of the doorway, down the stairs and return inside the home to call 911.
MORA, Minn. -- A dispute over money may be the reason two people were murdered Sunday night near Mora.
Larry and Lois Steenerson, who moved to Mora from Elk River, were found in their home Sunday night.
At least one of them may have helped catch their own killers, by calling 9-1-1. Police got there in time to catch both suspects, still at the scene.
According to police, the resident said that for the previous two days, he had been receiving “bizarre” and difficult to understand text messages on his cell phone referring to events occurring in the home.
In one message, the unknown caller wrote that he could see a Burger King commercial playing on a television inside the residence. In another message, the caller wrote, “You left your girl home alone again.” In all, the man and his 21-year-old girlfriend, who also lives at the residence, received 35 similar text messages.
Shortly before the alleged assault, the man received a text saying that the unknown caller would be at the door of the residence. When the man called the girlfriend, he said, she told him she also received a text telling her to open the front door, which she said she did.
According to officials, 41-year-old Walter Brown found an unlocked door and a victim who he believed was smaller than himself that he could easy overpower on Dec. 10.
Kent Fenske, who was barely awake, saw an armed Brown coming at him inside his Minneapolis apartment along the 1800 block of 10th Avenue South.
"He walked in and I said, 'Who are you?' And he said, and this is a quote, 'I'm your worst nightmare," Fenske told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS.
"He had mentioned that he had been hearing voices and the voice were telling him that he had to kill me. He said that quite a few times and I just said, 'Well, you don't always have to listen to those voices,’" Fenske recounted.
Over the next 20 minutes, Fenske offered Brown a cup of tea, asked him if he’d like to call his mother or use the phone, and gave him $50. Brown, who has lengthy criminal record, then agreed to leave.
An investigation revealed that between 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, someone entered the residence and stole numerous computer items.
The homeowner was inside and asleep during the burglary.
Police are looking for three armed men responsible for a home invasion in the Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis.
Officials said the incident just before 9 p.m. Tuesday near 27th Street and Dupont Avenue.
Inside the apartment complex, the three tenants were holding a weekly poker gathering when the three suspects barged in, tied them up, and brandished pistols.
The masked suspects were toting handguns when they gained access to a residence on the 1900 block of S. Meadowwood Court around 8:45 a.m. The perpetrators used tape to restrain the homeowner and made off with unspecified items, Roehl said.
The break-in did not appear to be random, but police did not know the relationship between the victim and the suspects.
Rochester police are looking for four men who allegedly forced their way into a southeast Rochester residence late Sunday, tried to tie up a man living there and later fled, abandoning their vehicle when it struck a parked vehicle.
The 19-year-old man who lives in the 300 block of 10th Avenue Southeast said he was in the residence about 9:30 p.m. when the four men came to the door. There was a confrontation and the four forced their way in, tried to bind his hands and demanded money.
