KENT, Wash. — Surveillance video captured a frightening scenario that played out in a Kent neighborhood early Tuesday morning. A group of armed people walked through a front yard and casing a home around 4:30 a.m. It happened near 118th Southeast and Southeast 256th Place, and it’s not the first time the home has been targeted.
People living in the area, and in the home said they called 911 but police didn’t show up to talk to the people in the home until after 4 p.m. Wednesday. When asked why it took more than 36 hours after it was reported to respond, the detective said they were just learning the severity of the call.
The man who lives in the home said it’s the second time the house has been targeted. He said his aunt was robbed on their front lawn back in January, so they were already on edge. Then Tuesday his ring notifications woke him up.
“Once we found out they had guns I was just shaking the whole time. I was really afraid,” said the man who lives there.
He asked us not to share his name or face because he’s afraid they’ll be targeted a third time.
His camera counted five people with masks on, and one with what looked like a gun in his hand. The man who lives there said he didn’t see the gun until we went back through security footage, but he wasn’t any less scared.
“I believe I said that they were going through my house or trying to go through my house. I didn’t have enough time to go too much into detail because I was fully panicked,” he said. “I also know that my neighbors called the police too, I think two maybe three of my neighbors called police.”
But police never came to the home. The Kent Police Department said while they received calls about suspicious people in the area, there were no calls about a break-in. They said officers responded to the area and didn’t see anyone.
“We’re not far from the police department in my opinion I think it would have been nice to see them,” said Mary Beth Behnan.
Tuesday was the second time this year his home was targeted. On January 31, two men followed his aunt to the home and attacked her out front. Her screams can be heard in the security footage.
A week ago, on August 28, burglars actually broke into two Kent homes where they held the residents at gunpoint and demanded money. The burglaries are also similar to over a dozen in South Seattle. Investigators in both cities say the victims are all of Asian descent.
“Honestly really scared like are we getting targeted because of our own race it’s like, we can’t even do anything about that,” said the man who lives in the house that was targeted on Tuesday.
In July, two Kent homes were broken into within minutes of each other and five kids were hiding in one of them. Then a week later, a Kent couple was robbed twice in two days.
Kent police said they’re keeping all possibilities open until they’re ruled out when asked if this latest prowling incident is tied to the two home invasions last week.
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