Community members in North Stockton, California, are concerned after a suspect pretending to be a candy salesman and three others were involved in an apparent robbery.
The incident happened Monday in the 10300 block of Joplin Lane and the suspects were recorded on a Ring doorbell camera, ABC 10 reported.
The armed suspects pushed their way into the house, then escaped with the homeowner’s personal items.
In a social media post on Tuesday, the Stockton Police Department shared the video clip and said, “Officers met with the victim who advised she answered a knock at the door to one of the suspects, who was posing as a candy vendor.”
The footage showed a man wearing a black shirt and medical mask while carrying an orange box standing at the door.
Moments after the homeowner appeared to exchange money with him, three more men approached, shoving their way through the door as the man with the box moved aside:
The man appeared to put a black mask over his head before removing it and walking away from the scene.
“They’re bold, bold and ruthless and especially doing it in broad daylight,” recalled a neighbor, who asked to remain anonymous.
According to a police spokesperson, the homeowner was told to get down on the floor as the intruders took items, then fled the scene, CBS Sacramento reported.
“This wasn’t the only attempt the four suspects made in the neighborhood, according to SPD. In Ring security video obtained by CBS13, the fake candy salesman knocked on multiple doors before the armed robbery,” the outlet said.
Footage of a black SUV was also recorded on a doorbell camera and officials believe the car belonged to the suspects.
Stockton police are urging anyone with more information to contact the department at (209) 937-8377 or its Investigations Division at (209) 937-8323.
Meanwhile, approximately 75 percent of registered voters said they believe defunding law enforcement departments is a “major” or “minor” reason behind the increase in violent crime across the nation, according to a Morning Consult/Politico poll released in February.
“The survey results come as Democrats largely back away from the ‘Defund the Police’ movement,” Breitbart News reported.