Family is tied up in home invasion robbery

A family of three in an upscale Riverside neighborhood was tied up with duct tape while three men ransacked their home Tuesday night, the Riverside Police Department said.

No injuries were reported and no arrests had been made as of Wednesday, said Officer Javier Cabrera, a Police Department spokesman.

The robbery happened about 9:40 p.m. in the 14100 block of Ashton Lane. A resident was working in the garage with the door open when three men with guns entered. They forced the family, which included an 11-year-old, into a bathroom, where they were tied up, Cabrera said.

The men then thoroughly searched the house and stole property, including phones, before fleeing. The residents eventually were able to free themselves and call police from a neighbor’s home.

The residents still were trying to determine Wednesday what else was taken, Cabrera said. They could not describe the robbers in more than general detail.

Cabrera said there was no evidence to suggest that this crime was related to a robbery precisely one month prior about a mile and a half away. In that case, in the 7700 block of Kingdom Drive, masked gunmen burst into what police said was an illegal gambling operation and stole cash, jewelry and phones.