Franklin

Police say guests may have been targeted in armed home invasion

By Tiffany Esshaki
C & G Staff Writer

FRANKLIN — On July 17, a Franklin homeowner and guests were held at gunpoint by two suspects who forced their way in and ransacked the house in the 24000 block of Franklin Farms Drive.

According to police, the invasion wasn’t a random crime — it was likely a planned attack.

According to Lt. William Castro of the Franklin-Bingham Farms Police Department, the suspects broke through the front door of the home at around 2:15 a.m., while the homeowner had guests over. The two armed suspects reportedly held the group at gunpoint while the home was looted. No one was injured during the home invasion, which lasted only moments. The suspects fled the scene, and shortly after that one of the victims called 911 to report the incident.

Though some small electronics and other personal items were reported stolen, Castro said that based on victim accounts, he thinks the suspects probably targeted the home for a specific reason.

“They kept making demands. We don’t know whether these two suspects specifically knew (the homeowner), but they did have information that leads us to believe that they knew who would be inside the house,” he said.

“They were making demands, but left the house without finding what they were hoping to originally find.”

Castro declined to elaborate on the nature of the demands, as to not hinder future investigation.

The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office assisted in processing the scene for evidence, and said in a report that physical evidence was left behind. That evidence, which Castro said he was unable to elaborate on, was processed and turned over to the Franklin-Bingham Police Department.

Castro said that an investigation is ongoing, and anyone who might have information on the incident should call police at (248) 626-5444.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Tiffany Esshaki at tesshaki@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1095.