Authorities reached out to the public Thursday for help in identifying three thieves who are suspected of breaking into an eastern San Diego County home during broad daylight last month and stealing nearly $10,000 in cash and property.
The daring smash-and-grab played out in a span of six minutes. The masked burglars -- believed to be two men and a teenage boy -- smashed a master-bedroom glass door to get into the house on Saxton Lane in the Crest neighborhood, east of El Cajon, at about 6:30 p.m. on July 21, according to the county Sheriff's Department.
After using pry bars to break into a safe, the trio grabbed roughly $9,000 in currency and another safe containing a handgun, then fled to the south into a nearby canyon, police said.
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In a surveillance video of the break-in, an alarm can be heard in the background.
"These guys are doing this in the middle of the day, it's 7 o’clock at night, the sun still out, in complete daylight and for them to blatantly do this, it’s the crazy thing," the homeowner who feared for his safety and did not want to be identified told Telemundo 20 and NBC 7.
Their family is still in shock, especially because they have a security system in place and live in a gated community.
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"The neighbor saw them in the backyard before they broke in too. He yelled at them, 'Hey, guys, get out of there. I see you. I’m calling the police,' but the guys turned around like nothing ever happened, calm, and walk over and broke into the master bedroom," the homeowner said.
The incident left the homeowner feeling violated. "Nothing is worse than that, knowing the fear of people being in your house and you have no control of it."
Anyone with information about the break-in was asked to call San Diego County Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477 or contact the agency online at sdcrimestoppers.org. Tipsters may remain anonymous and could be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.
