Another home invasion in the East Bay has neighbors on high alert this holiday weekend.
A 73-year-old Concord resident said two gunmen broke into his home Wednesday night, tied him up and stole cash, making it the third home invasion in the area since Halloween.
"They appear in my bedroom and tell me to wake-up," said John Panieri. He added the men told him they were going to rob him, and they wanted cash.
Panieri said they threatened to kill him. "They had handguns," he said. "When he said, 'I will kill you,' I said, 'please don’t kill me, my cats are dependent on me.'"
Panieri said the men stole the cash in his home and in his car, tied him up and gave him back his car keys before taking off.
"I’m extremely grateful that they didn’t hurt me," said Panieri.
Police said that on Tuesday night, three thieves broke into a home and tied-up two people in Lafayette. The victims could only watch as the thieves looted their home. Also, on Halloween night, about three miles away, police said three thieves armed with a pistol, stormed into a home, tied up two people and ransacked the place.
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"It’s scary but it can happen anywhere," said neighbor Kevin Arredondo. "You’ve got to do the best that you can."
Panieri said that after the thieves left his home, he was able to untie himself and walk to the police station to report what happened.
Police are still investigating the incident.
