THE NEWS DESK
The News Desk is a collection of news, notes and breaking items affecting the Fredericksburg community.
Man uses knife to steal assault weapon in Stafford home invasion
BY KEITH EPPS
An intruder got away with an assault rifle and just over $100 following a home-invasion robbery early Wednesday in North Stafford, police said.
The incident took place about 5:40 a.m. at a home on the northern end of Garrisonville Road, Sheriff’s Maj. Dave Decatur said. A 27-year-old woman reported that she was awakened by a man who had a knife in one hand and put the other hand over her mouth.
The intruder threatened to kill her boyfriend if she didn’t remain quiet and cooperate, Decatur said. The 31-year-old boyfriend was sleeping on a couch in an adjacent room.
The man told the victim that he wanted guns and money. The woman got the keys to a two-car, detached garage, where an AK-47 was in a large tool box.
The woman had trouble getting into the tool box, Decatur said, so the intruder took her back into the home to the sleeping boyfriend. The woman woke the man and told him they were being robbed and the suspect had a gun. The suspect had told her to mention the gun, Decatur said, though he never displayed one.
The boyfriend got the gun out of the tool box, along with ammunition and a magazine. The suspect then left from the garage and told the victims not to call the police.
The victims immediately called, and deputies flooded the area but were unable to find the suspect.
The suspect was described as a black man between 25 and 35, 6 feet tall and 200 pounds. He had a small goatee, brown eyes and was wearing a black zip-up hoodie.
Decatur said police do not believe the robbery was random, as the suspect appeared to have prior information about the victims.
Keith Epps: 540/374-5404
