Four Home Invasion Suspects on the Loose

MERCED – The Merced County Sheriff’s Department is on the lookout for four suspects who were involved in a violent home invasion.

Looking down Manchester from Broadway

The incident happened at a home located on Manchester Avenue near Broadway Avenue just outside of Atwater early Thursday morning. According to reports, four robbers arrived at the location in a white Ford Expedition around 9:30 a.m. and confronted the 23-year-old victim in front of his house.

Deputies say the men were there about a dispute over a car. One of the suspects had been storing his car at the location and accused the victim of selling it while he was in prison, deputies said.

The suspect demanded the victim pay him for the missing car. When the victim didn’t comply, one of the suspects armed with a long-barreled gun hit him in the back of the head with the butt of the weapon. When the victim’s 33-year-old brother showed up, one of the suspects held him at knife point while the rest of the suspects ransacked the home, according to authorities.

The suspects stole several items and then fled the scene in their Expedition toward the freeway. The suspects’ vehicle has a dent in its rear right side, deputies said.

The suspects are described as Latino males in their mid- to late-20s. Anyone with information as to the whereabouts of the suspects is asked to call the Merced County Sheriff’s Department at (209) 385-7445. Tips are kept confidential and callers remain anonymous.