Hacienda Heights home invasion: Couple tied up, robbed

HACIENDA HEIGHTS, Calif. (KABC) -- Deputies are searching for three suspects who tied up a couple inside their home in Hacienda Heights and made off with $4,000 in cash and jewelry Sunday.

The incident was reported in the 2000 block of Nadula Drive at about 7:14 p.m.

The victims were ambushed as they arrived home, deputies said.

"The lady walked up to her garage, how she normally goes into the house and she was assaulted by one male," said L.A. County sheriff's deputy Brian Sanford.

Investigators say the woman was hit in the face a couple of times but not seriously injured. The first suspect was joined by two others. They were armed with a knife and told the couple they had a gun. No weapons were seen.

"Three male adults, they had masks over their faces and they were forcibly taken inside the house," Sanford said.

The couple was tied up inside the house for about an hour and a half while the suspects ransacked the property. A neighbor says the couple owns a jewelry business in a nearby shopping center.

Police say one resident saw a suspicious vehicle in the area shortly before the home-invasion but they aren't sure if it was related to the crime. Residents of the normally quiet area are concerned.

"It's just, you know, disturbing because we're pretty sheltered here and it's a safe neighborhood, except when things like this happen and it's very concerning for us, and we're worried about our neighbors," said Kim Doan of Hacienda Heights.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information was urged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500.