.png){kind=small}
An elderly couple were targeted in a violent home invasion late Friday evening after intruders entered their Bel Air home and tied them up.
The victims, a man and woman in their 70s, were tied up and assaulted during the incident, according to their son, who spoke with KCAL News. He says that his parents were quite shaken by the incident, and are recovering from minor injuries they suffered. They were not hospitalized.
The scene unfolded at around 8 p.m., when three men, all allegedly armed with guns, broke into their victims' home in the 1300 block of Casiano Road and tied them up. After he was able to free himself from the restraints, the male victim called his son just after midnight.
He says that while they were tied up, one of the suspects ripped down their home security camera system and threw it in the sink before dousing it — and much of the house — with bleach.
The family says that the thieves made off with a large safe which was allegedly filled with cash. Video from the scene showed black scuff-marks on the driveway of the home, where the safe was dragged.
While circumstances leading up to the incident are still unclear, the son believes that his parents were targeted in the robbery since they own a successful wholesale business, supplying local restaurants with seafood. He noted that the business has been a popular target for crime in the past, it has never reached extremes like it did Friday evening.
Officers were unable to provide descriptions on any of the suspects, as they were all masked during the attack. They were also unable to detail the type of vehicle used in the incident.
As they continue the investigation, detectives are hopeful that nearby home security footage can lead them to the identification and arrest of the suspects involved.