OAK HARBOR — Detectives are asking for help finding three men who broke into an Oak Harbor-area home early Tuesday morning and attacked the people inside.
The botched holdup isn’t without clues: One suspect left behind his flashy hat.
Police are hoping to find genetic material on the hat, which features an embroidered dragon and rhinestones.
Investigators believe the home was targeted and the robbery wasn’t random, Island County sheriff’s detective Ed Wallace said Tuesday.
The victims don’t appear to have known the suspects beforehand, he said.
“They did say their faces were covered, but they didn’t seem to recognize them, their car, clothing, nothing like that,” he said.
The robbery was reported just after midnight Tuesday along W. Wedgewood Lane, in an affluent neighborhood west of the city.
Four young men who lived at the home were there when the suspects kicked down the French doors in the back of the house, Wallace said.
The suspects threatened the victims with what appeared to be a handgun. One of the suspects struck one of the victims in the head with the gun, and the victim realized it was made of plastic, Wallace said.
The victims then began to fight back, and the robbers fled in what appeared to be a gold Buick or Oldsmobile. They didn’t appear to have gotten away with any significant stolen items.
One of the victims suffered minor injuries after being struck with a flashlight.
Investigators haven’t yet pinpointed a motive for the robbery, Wallace said. They checked out the house and found no signs of drug or gang activity.
During the commotion, one of the suspects dropped the plastic BB gun, and another had his baseball cap knocked off, Wallace said. Both items were in police custody and were expected to be tested for genetic material.
The hat was described as black with a black leather bill. It features an embroidered dragon design and rhinestones.
The first suspect is described as white, with a medium build and around 5-foot-5 or a little taller. The second is black with a medium build and around the same height. The third is black with a thin build and around 6-foot-3.
One of the suspects was wearing a shirt with “what was described as an evil clown face on it,” Wallace said.
No similar incidents have been reported recently in the area.
Anyone with information should contact detectives at 360-678-7968 or tips@co.island.wa.us.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com.
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