Waking up to masked men during a home invasion

A family home and business were robbed on Thursday after two masked men held them up with machetes. They were getting ready to start their day when the robbers caught them off-guard, making off with cash, a gun and other material items. News Five’s Andrea Polanco went to Rhaburn Ridge to talk to the traumatized family.

Andrea Polanco, Reporting

On Thursday morning shortly before six, the only shop in Rhaburn Ridge, Pancho V Family Grocery Store, at mile thirty-seven was invaded by machete wielding robbers. The Mai family has lived in this community for years but don’t have neighbors close by.  The area surrounded by bush, made them an easy target for criminals. Two assailants entered the building through this back door:

Jaime Mai, Victim of Home Invasion

“I just wake up at that time cause my lee sister gone dah the bathroom; that was like 5:45 and she was going out again and the bally ketch she with the machete right yah soh.”

Andrea Polanco

Jaime Mai

“So how did they gain access to your home, your shop?”

Jaime Mai

“When they push the door, I see the bally and I mi wah get the gun, but I neva get it because they boom me soh with the machete so I neva get the gun.”

Maria Mai, Victim of Home Invasion

“They use the back door.”

Andrea Polanco

“That was opened at the time?”

Maria Mai

“Yeah it was open because I come down to brush my teeth and coming down from there, they ketch me with the machete and put it here.”

With a surprise entrance, the masked robbers seized the Mai’s firearm and then tied up all four occupants of the house.

Jaime Mai

“Deh tek the gun fah right yah suh then they start point it at we and so we had to go to the back.”

Andrea Polanco

“So did they tie up you guys as well?”

Jaime Mai

“Yeah. Soon as they come in they started to tie us up—the four ah we.”

Andrea Polanco

“So they tied you guys up. How did you manage to loosen yourself?”

Maria Mai

“Well my brother, they tied him with a belt and he tried to take that off and my sister with tape and they come with machete and me too they tied me because they say I’m the owner of the shop”

Jaime Mai

Maria Mai

“One ah deh got on a warm cap, black cap and put wah blue rag right yah soh and the next one got wah sock, but it tear up right yah soh.”

Andrea Polanco

“Were you able to tell if they were Hispanic men or black men?”

Jaime Mai

“One coolie one and one colored next one.”

Andrea Polanco

“You don’t think that these are residents of Rhaburn Ridge, of this area?”

Jaime Mai

“The people from here say that they work from back deh—you know, the tilapia thing—they work right there. But they noh suppose to go yesterday, but they gone yesterday.”

A search of both the house and shop followed, whereby the thieves made off with a number of items:

Maria Mai

“They took three clocks, they took flash, batteries from the shop, they took a phone, the gun.”

Andrea Polanco

“Did they take any cash?”

Maria Mai

“Yes, they took like sixty dollars or fifty dollars cause only the one outside.”

The Mai’s believe the assailants are strangers to the community who visited the shop a day prior to the incident

Maria Mai

“I know them because yesterday they said that we chance people. A day after they come to buy fish and I neva know how much ih cost and that’s why I chance people and so that’s why I recognized them.”

Andrea Polanco

“So they were here at the shop earlier buying and then they returned in the evening to rob you?”

Maria Mai

“They were here on Wednesday evening—come to buy fish and one was with marijuana in his hand.”

Andrea Polanco

“So they were the same ones who came back yesterday Thursday?”

Maria Mai

“Yes, because they repeat that we chance people.”

Though they were not physically harmed, the incident calls for closer connection of the people of Rhaburn Ridge.  Reporting for News Five, I am Andrea Polanco.

The Mai’s said that they are taking precautionary measures because this experience has left them distressed.