On August 31, residents at a Valley Center home were accosted by two armed men who claimed to be law-enforcement agents. The victims, all of whom are in their 20s, complied with the perpetrators, who wore tactical gear and T-shirts that read "DEA."

According to San Diego County Sheriff’s Sgt. Bob Bishop, the criminals forced their way into the home and ordered the residents to get on the ground. One perpetrator had a handgun and the other, an assault rifle. The victims, who were bound with zip-ties, realized that the robbers were not DEA agents when one of them took off his shirt and revealed prison tattoos on his arms.

The criminals ransacked the home, possibly in search of drugs, and demanded to know the whereabouts of one of the former roommates. According to Bishop, the shirtless suspect "stated he had been in prison and the reason they were there was to find someone who had lived there once upon a time and ripped them off for 25 lbs. of marijuana."

Neighbors from another unit on the property were confronted as they approached the scene, and two other people who drove up to the home were accosted by the suspects. A male victim escaped into a nearby canyon and called 911. There were no major physical injuries during the robbery, and a female victim suffered a small cut on her finger, according to police.

The suspects drove away in a red BMW before police arrived. Their descriptions are as follows: one is a white male adult about mid 30s, 5’8”, stocky build, with completely tattooed arms; the other is a skinny white male, about 6’00”, and very pale.