Couple Tied Up, Tortured During Robbery of Home

WINNETKA —  Two residents were pistol-whipped, burned with cigarettes and held at gunpoint as three men ransacked their home for several hours early Saturday in the 20700 block of Ingomar Street, police and a victim of the robbery said.

The victim, who asked to remain anonymous, said the gunmen attempted to torture her and her boyfriend into revealing where they kept their valuables. The couple suffered minor injuries, including burns to the woman’s leg and face.

The pair were entering their home about 12:30 a.m. Saturday after visiting a friend when the gunmen, who were wearing ski masks and carrying handguns, approached them, according to the victim and police reports.

The boyfriend was hit over the head with a vase while the gunmen bound and blindfolded the couple with duct tape.

“They came out of nowhere,” said the woman. “They put a gun to my head and kept asking me where I kept my safe. I told them I don’t own a safe.

“They didn’t believe me and I thought I was going to die.”

The robbers took an undisclosed amount of cash and jewelry, including a Rolex watch, and left the scene in an unknown vehicle.

The victims untied themselves and called police at about 2:30 a.m.

“I’m glad to be alive,” said the woman.

Police said the robbers were described as being in their 20s, but provided no other details. The investigation is being conducted by the Los Angeles Police Department’s West Valley Division robbery detectives.