Police seek suspects in 3 home invasions

Police are looking for suspects in three home invasions that occurred overnight Wednesday and early Thursday in the Salt Lake Valley.

The first was just before 8 p.m. near 5000 West and 4600 South. Four men, all wearing dark clothing, bandanas and beanie caps and armed with handguns, entered through an unlocked door, said West Valley Police Capt. Tom McLachlan.

"They went into the bedroom looking for fairly specific items. I don't know whether they got them or not," he said.

Police did confirm a wallet, a purse and some cash were taken. The house was also "relatively ransacked," McLachlan said.

McLachlan said he couldn't say for certain whether the incident was random or not, but noted that the alleged burglars "seemed to know why they were going to that location and what they were looking for."

Less than an hour later, four men wearing black hoodies and black bandanas over their faces and all carrying handguns kicked in the door to an apartment near 400 North and 1200 West.

The group asked for the victim's fiance and then demanded money, speaking in both Spanish and English, according to a police report. A purse, jewelry and a cosmetic bag were taken, a police report stated.

The four suspects in the West Valley robbery were described as Caucasian and the four in Salt Lake City as Hispanic. It was unknown Thursday whether the two cases were related.

About 12:30 a.m. Thursday a third home invasion was reported in West Valley. Three to six men, one armed with a shotgun, entered a house near 4800 West and 3700 South, McLachlan said.

"They were looking for something specific, a container. The suspects were looking for a specific item in a specific room," he said.

The group took a video game system and a wallet and punched one occupant in the eye, McLachlan said.

They were last seen driving away in a red Toyota 4-Runner with a partial license plate of "465."

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