Law enforcement agencies in the East Bay are warning residents about recent home invasion robberies that could be linked to one group of armed suspects.
The latest robbery occurred in Piedmont on Tuesday night, in which the victims were robbed at gunpoint after multiple suspects stormed into their house about 7:30 p.m. The victims, who did not want to be identified, said the suspects were organized, calm, and demanded cash and jewerly.
That’s very similar to the description of recent home invasions in Fremont, police said.
At a home on Pilgrim Loop in Fremont on Sunday night, five armed men broke in while the owners were out.
Neighbor Rakesh Sharma, who lives across the street, was working at his home when the victims called from a restaurant and told him they were watching on their smartphone surveillance app as their home was being robbed.
"He says that my house is being invaded. There are people inside, and they've got guns," Sharma said the victim told him. "By the time police were here, they were gone."
Fremont police Detective Michael Gebhardt believes the suspects may be linked to another home invasion on nearby Hunter Lane.
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"You have five armed individuals, and they are not just armed with anything," Gebhardt said, viewing surveillance footage. "In the video, you can see some of these guns are armed with extended magazines."
In the Hunter Lane incident on Aug. 16, suspects came straight through the garage door, went straight to where the family was and controlled them at gunpoint, Gebhardt said. He said the suspects are targeting homeowners when they expect them to be home.
Fremont police are now looking for links to other recent home invasions.
"You’ve heard about the one in Oakland they just got. Piedmont had one," Gebhardt said. "We're working with everybody to see if they have like suspects."
So far the suspects have gotten away with at least $150,000 worth of jewelry and cash, according to law enforcement estimates.
