Authorities are investigating a pair of armed home invasion robberies that occurred over the weekend in Philadelphia.
In one of the incidents, the suspects abducted two family members and reportedly pointed a gun at a 3-year-old boy when the child started crying. There was no indication Sunday that the two robberies are related.
Police said a man was sitting on his front porch late Saturday, just before midnight, when a gunman dressed in black ordered him inside the house, on the 500 block of Marwood Road in Olney.
The suspect proceeded to use zip-ties to restrain the man, his wife and their daughter, and demanded money, according to investigators. He led the father to an upstairs bedroom, where he took $1,000 in cash before hitting the man in the head with a firearm, law enforcement officials said.
PPD representatives said the family was able to free themselves and call police a short time after the suspect fled the house. The robbery was also captured on surveillance cameras at the property, authorities added.
Investigators said the man sustained head injuries, and his daughter suffered some scrape wounds from the zip ties. No arrests were reported in the immediate aftermath of the incident.
In the other home invasion, multiple armed individuals confronted a family as they were entering their home early Saturday morning on the 2100 block of Princeton Avenue in the Castor Gardens section of Northeast Philadelphia, law enforcement said.
Police said the gunmen restrained the victims and stole some personal belongings. One of the male family members told NBC10 and 6abc that the suspects pointed a gun at his 3-year-old son. The news stations did not identify the victim who spoke about his experience.
Then, the gunmen took two of the relatives, forced them into a vehicle and took the pair to a second location, where the suspects “continued their criminal actions and inflicted physical harm,” the PPD said in a written recap.
Investigators were able to track the group to the 2000 block of Albright Street in Kensington. There, during a confrontation, an officer fired at least one shot, though no one was struck, according to law enforcement.
The gunmen fled the area on foot and remain at large, officials said, while the victims were rescued.
Anyone with information about either home invasion is asked to call or text the PPD tip line at 215-686-TIPS (8477).
