While investigating a reported robbery of a Goleta residence, Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Dept. deputies on Sunday found 10 men tied up with telephone cords who had just been robbed at gunpoint.
At approximately 9 p.m., officers received a 911 call from 86 Nectarine Avenue. The victims, ten 10 Hispanic male adults, reported that two Hispanic men had broken in and fled with more than $7,000. Public Information Officer Erik Raney said the suspects were armed when they entered the residence, where all 10 men live, and ordered them to lie on the ground.
After binding the men’s hands, Raney said, the suspects then demanded the residents’ cell phones and wallets before ransacking the home, looking for valuables. One of the victims was taken into a bedroom and was punched in the stomach as the burglars interrogated him in an attempt to find money hidden in the residence.
The victims were unable to provide any suspect description and detectives assigned to the case are asking the public for assistance. Anyone with information about this robbery or similar crimes is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Detective Bureau at 805-681-4150 or the anonymous tip line at 877-800-9100.