Men threaten to kill baby, force dad to drive to bank to withdraw money, CA police say
.jpg "A group of men threatened to kill a baby as they forced the baby’s father to drive to a bank and withdraw money from his account, California police said.")
A group of men threatened to kill a baby as they forced the child’s father to drive to a bank and withdraw money from his account, California police said.
The men were behind at least three home invasions in the San Jose area, the San Jose Police Department said in a release Thursday, June 30.
Four of the suspects are now in custody, police said..
“Obviously, all of these incidents are disturbing,” police Sgt. Christian Camarillo said at a news conference Thursday. “I mean, can you imagine being a victim, somebody coming into your home, violating your privacy?”
Officers responded to the first home invasion around 4 p.m. May 31 in the 600 block of North Capitol Avenue, police said. While at the home, “five to six suspects bound an elderly couple with belts, brandished a handgun, and violently assaulted the victims.” Before police arrived, the suspects stole bank cards, jewelry and a car that they used to flee in.
Later on the same day, the suspects drove to a second home in the 1000 block of Summerdale Drive, police said. There, five suspects threatened a man and his 15-month-old son, forcing the father to drive to the bank to “withdraw money from his account,” police said. The suspects returned to the home with the man and stole bank cards and jewelry.
“The suspects were captured on a dash cam fleeing from the scene by the victim’s wife as she came home,” police said in a release.
Some of the same suspects went on to invade a third home in the 4000 block of Bolero Drive on June 7, police said. Two men held an “elderly couple at gunpoint, and violently assaulted them.”
During the home invasion, one of the victims contacted police. Officers arrested two suspects, Armando Manzano and Daniel Mendez — both 19 — as they tried to flee. Both were booked into Santa Clara County Main Jail and are facing felony robbery charges.
Through investigation, police also identified and arrested two additional suspects, Eduardo Santiago, 23, and a 17-year-old juvenile male, police said.
“These folks should not be on our city streets,” Camarillo said Thursday. “We’re really starting to become frustrated. And these suspects need to be held accountable for the serious crimes that are committed. They need to remain in custody.”
Manzano had been arrested on an unrelated charge and released the day before the June 7 home invasion, according to police.
“We want our community members to be safe in their own homes, and we want these folks to remain incarcerated when they need to be,” Camarillo added.
Some of the stolen property was recovered, according to police.
The suspects are believed to have been involved in “additional burglaries and violent crimes,” police said. Anyone with information is asked to reach out via email at 4542@sanjoseca.gov or call 408-277-4166.
This story was originally published June 30, 2022 at 7:42 PM with the headline "Men threaten to kill baby, force dad to drive to bank to withdraw money, CA police say."
