Home Invasion Robberies Continue to Shake the Valley

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Two more home invasion robberies occurred in the Valley on Thursday.

The first robbery occurred at around 7:00 a.m. in Northwest Modesto. Three armed men forced their way in, tied up the residents and took property from the house.

About two hours later, four men appeared at a house in Livingston. They tied up the resident, and made off with thousands of dollars worth of jewelry, from the woman's home jewelry business.

Neighbor Jose Rodriguez is concerned, "It's sad because it's so dangerous and it's happening in my neighborhood, close to my house."

No one was reported to have been hurt in these incidents, but residents have been roughed up in other incidents, where other family members and children were at home.

Tom Mackenzie of the Merced County Sheriff's Department says the robbers in these incidents are tough.

"It tells you that these people are serious. They're pretty ruthless if they're going after people with families," said Mackenzie.

A home in West Fresno was hit on Wednesday; homes in Selma and Atwater were robbed on Tuesday.

A home invasion in Kerman on Monday prompted members of the Punjabi community to take their concerns to City Hall. They think the answer is more police protection.

In Livingston, neighbor Juan Garcia also wants to see more cops on the street.

"They just need to be out there. Looking around, doing their jobs. Because if they are not out there then there's a lot of things going on," said Garcia.

But home invasion robberies are difficult to stop. Steven Stanfield of the Modesto Police Department says residents need to take some basic precautions.

"We tell people, remember to lock your doors. If you have an alarm, remember how to set it. Just use all due caution," said Stanfield.

Police say victims are often targeted because robbers have reason to believe they may have cash, gold or jewelry in their homes.

The woman robbed in Livingston sold jewelry. Some Punjabi families are believed to have gold jewelry from their native India in their homes.

Some other targets have been business owners, who the robbers may believe bring their cash home with them.

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crimetracker, robbery, fresno, livingston, merced, kerman, local, gene haagenson

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