Stanton : Gunmen Rob Family and Guests of $1,000

Members of a Stanton family and their guests were robbed of an estimated $1,000 in cash by four masked gunmen who forced their way into the house late Saturday, authorities said.

An extensive ground and aerial search, conducted with the aid of the Sheriff’s Department helicopter, failed to turn up the getaway car, described as a two-door late-model brown Oldsmobile, police said.

It was the second time in three years that Ha Dau and his wife, Phung Nam, had been robbed by masked intruders, according to their 12-year-old son, Huynh Hai.

Saturday’s robbery began about 7 p.m. when four Vietnamese youths wearing ski masks rushed into Ha’s rented house in the 8100 block of Cerritos Avenue through a rear door with a broken lock, the man said through his English-speaking son.

Phung Nam, 41, the couple’s four smaller children and two house guests were being robbed inside as the 49-year-old Ha returned home with a friend. When one intruder pointed a gun at Ha, he ran. The gunman fired a single shot at him but missed.

The four robbers, described as between 16 and 20 years of age, fled with an estimated $1,000 in cash taken from Phung and her guests. They escaped in a waiting car driven by a fifth man, Ha said through his son. Ha said he was unable to see a license number because the car sped away with its lights off.

Police said an investigation is continuing.

Huynh said his family was robbed three years ago when they were living in nearby Cerritos. In that crime, which he said was never solved, three masked men broke in and stole a camera and other items. He said the family did not believe the robberies were related because the earlier intruders were older men between the ages of 20 and 30.