On a road off Braddock Road in Burke, a brazen home invasion rattled life on the quiet cul-de-sac. On Tuesday, July 8, at about 2:45 p.m., a 46-year-old Burke-area man answered a knock at the front door of his house in the 9700 block of Burke View Court, in the Burke area. When he opened the door, three to four men, all brandishing handguns, pushed their way inside and demanded money.
The victim replied that he had none, but the suspects forced him to an upstairs bedroom. There, the suspects held him and three family members while they searched the house. The victim told police that the suspects did not find any money, but they did leave in the victim's gold, 1992 Infinity Q45 car with D.C. registration 569781. The victims received minor injuries, which were treated by rescue personnel at the scene.
Three of the suspects were described as follows: all Asian males in their 20s, with dark hair and brown eyes. One suspect was wearing a white and red T-shirt and light blue jeans. Another was wearing a white T-shirt with stripes. The third suspect was wearing a blue T-shirt and had a tattoo of a dragon on his arm.
The next-door neighbor, who chose not to give his name, was in the basement at the time of the incident and did not see anything until the police swarmed on the scene. He did remember that the neighbors, whom he referred to as the Chin family, had a pair of Doberman pinschers in the past, but he has not heard them for a while.
"I don't hear the Dobermans anymore," he said.
In the 32 years that this neighbor has lived on Burke View Court, he's had his mailboxes vandalized and a basement window broken, but nothing serious.
"It's overall a good neighborhood," he said.
He did note the good police response time, though. The West Springfield District Station is right around the corner on Rolling Road.
"Whenever you need the police, they're here," he said. "They were here in big force."
The neighbor put forward that with the victims and intruders both being Asian, he thought that the incident could be gang-related.
Police spokesperson Sgt. Jeff Gossett disregarded that theory.
"I'm not sure if that had anything to do with this case," he said.
To combat home invasions, Gossett did recommend citizens follow certain guidelines.
"Make sure you have sufficient security systems in place, look before you open your door," he said.
Although this was an unfortunate occurrence for the family involved, Gossett did note the rarity.
"This is not a very common occurrence in the county," he said, but the following Monday, July 14, another incident occurred in Annandale.
According to police, a 44-year-old Annandale-area man was asleep in bed around 2 a.m., when two men came into his room, held him down and took cash from his room. The two suspects were last seen leaving the area on foot. One suspect was described as white, in his 30s, 5 feet 8 inches tall, with a medium build and short blond hair. No description was given for the second suspect. The two identified themselves as police officers but did not display badges or provide any paperwork. This is believed to be an isolated incident, police said.
"They are not related," said police spokesperson Jacqi Smith.
Anyone with information on this robbery or the suspects is asked to call Fairfax County Police at 703-691-2131 or Fairfax County Crime Solvers at 1-800-673-2777 or 703-691-2131.