Fresno family shaken after violent home-invasion

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A father of two came face-to-face with thieves inside his Fresno apartment Sunday morning.

The home-invasion happened in East-Central Fresno at the Teakwood Gates Apartment Complex. The victim, who did not want to be identified, says three armed men broke in while he was sleeping with his two young children next to him.

"They started asking 'where is the money, where is the jewelry,'" the victim said. "I told them I don't have anything."

Those questions were coming from three robbers who had made their way into this man's apartment.

"I was asleep with both of my children," he said. "My newborn was next to me and my daughter was next to him and it was just us three."

And the men were looking for something he didn't have.

"The guy with the knife said 'where is the money, where is this,'" the victim explained. "I told him, 'I have a minimum wage job, I don't have nothing.'"

Frightened for the safety of his family, he made one request.

"I said 'don't hurt my children, don't hurt me just take what you want and leave,'" he said.

And it didn't take long for that to happen.

"He ended up leaving like 30 seconds later they got away with our TV's and that's pretty much what they took," he explained.

But they didn't get far. After the thieves smashed into the apartment complex's gate while trying to escape, they drove about a block before crashing into a pole on Shields and Chestnut Avenues.

One suspect was injured and stuck inside the car after being thrown from the back seat to the front.

His two buddies though took off and ran towards East Andrews Street near Scandinavian Middle School.

"One was subsequently detained," Sgt. Eric Hodge with the Fresno Police Department said. "Where we were after, a perimeter was established and the other suspect appeared to have fled westbound from this location."

With the whole ordeal, this father of two is grateful he and his two kids are safe.

"My family is fine so that's all that really matters to me," he said.

And thankful he's getting what he's worked so hard to have back.

"I'm kind of lucky because there were freeways just right here they could have easily headed off anywhere, but, luckily, they went down the street and just crashed," he said.