Family tied up, robbed by armed men posing as deputies

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) - A California family is terrified after a group of armed men posing as deputies invaded their home and held them at gunpoint as they robbed them.

The victims say several armed men posing as deputies forced their way into their home around 5 a.m. Tuesday. They say the men cut the locks on their gate then drove in with red and blue lights on top of a small black car.

Amanda, who wants to remain anonymous, says her mother’s boyfriend opened the door, believing the suspects were law enforcement. That’s when they barged in the home.

“We thought it was really cops outside, and they said they had a warrant. But we don’t know what they would be searching for because we don’t have anything in the house to hide,” Amanda said.

Amanda says the suspects grabbed her, her brother, her mom and her mom’s boyfriend. They made them lie face down, aggressively zip-tied their hands behind their backs and held them at gunpoint.

The robbers then rummaged through the house for their wallets, car keys, purses, jewelry and even documents. They said they were looking for money and marijuana.

Amanda says the suspects were using code names, and she didn’t see their faces.

“Flashing their flashlights a lot, so we couldn’t really see them. They were wearing masks and stuff, and they all had guns. So, it was just a very scary incident,” she said.

The men stayed in the house for at least 20 minutes.

Amanda’s mom was eventually able to free her hands, and the family called 911.

The family has only been living in the home for a matter of months, and Amanda says they no longer feel safe.

“None of us have ever experienced anything like this, so this was just crazy,” she said.

Authorities say the suspects are still on the loose. The investigation is ongoing.

Detectives gathered some surveillance video from the surrounding area, but the victims’ cameras were not working at the time.

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