Investigators believe the home, located on McAllister Crescent in Southwest Edmonton, was wrongfully targeted. The complainant was at home with his family – wife and four children – when the attack took place.
“Some of the children in the home had to witness their father be viciously assaulted. The whole family is traumatized and shaken,” says Acting Det. Anna Sinclair, of Southwest Division. “We are asking that the suspects do the right thing, and turn themselves in.”
It was reported that the 36-year-old man had gone outside to his vehicle, when he was faced with three masked males and was allegedly threatened with a firearm. He was severely beaten and dragged back into his residence, where his wife was then assaulted by one of the masked males. The woman was holding their toddler at the time, which fell out of her arms but was unharmed.
The four males continued to assault the complainant, who was again threatened with a firearm, while a fifth suspect restrained his wife. When the suspects noticed the other children - who had at that point gotten out of bed and witnessed the assault - they fled the home through the back door. The men fled east in the alley toward McAllister Loop.
“We are asking residents who live in the area where the break-in/assault took place to please check their yards for any suspicious items which may have been discarded by the suspects as they fled through the alley,” says Sinclair. “Please do not touch the item/s, and call police immediately.”
The complainant was treated by paramedics and taken to hospital. He has since been released and is recovering at home.
Investigators believe the motive for the break-in and assault is drug-related
The suspects were described as:
Suspect #1: Caucasian male approximately 5’11”, slim build, masked, sandy blonde hair and eyebrows
Suspect #2: Male brandishing the firearm, masked, possibly wearing black gloves or had black skin
Suspect #3: Male wearing black mask
Suspects #4 and #5: Males wearing black masks, and dark or olive drab like clothing
Also during the break-in, a white Lhasa Apso dog, who is wearing ID tags, went missing. It’s unknown if the dog ran out of the home or was taken by the suspects.
Anyone with information about the incident or the suspects is asked to call the Edmonton Police Service non-emergency complaint line at 780-423-4567or #377 from a mobile phone. Anonymous information can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.tipsubmit.com/start.htm.