A San Jose man said he managed to scare off two men who busted through his front door and held his wife at gunpoint during a Monday morning home invasion.
Rodel Cruzet and his wife Erika said the break-in happened around 6 a.m. at their home along Minnesota Avenue near W. Alma Avenue in the city's Willow Glen neighborhood.
"They were just two strange men in my house, 6 a.m. in the morning," Erika said. "I’m barely waking up. It was pretty intense."
Rodel said he and Erika fell asleep Sunday night while watching movies on their couch. Rodel woke up around 1:30 a.m. and went to bed. He said he did not wake Erika.
Several hours later, Rodel heard a loud bang, followed by Erika's scream.
"Her scream was just unbelievable," he said.
When he asked if she was OK, she didn't respond.
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"I was freaking out," Erika said. "I didn’t know what was going to happen."
Rodel said he poked his head out and saw Erika on the floor with two men standing over her pointing a gun at her.
"I’m on the floor with my dog and they point a gun to my head," Erika said.
Rodel said he sneaked into another room in the house, grabbed his pistol, loaded it and started heading for the front room. While on his way, one of the men yelled that they had Erika.
"I heard the guy say, ‘I got your girl, I got your girl, I got your girl,'" Rodel said.
When Rodel made sure Erika wasn't in the way, he charged into the room.
"I finally had the opportunity to rush towards them with my gun and I wanted to get closer, but as soon as I rushed towards them, they ran out the door," Rodel said.
The suspects escaped in a Mercedes E-350 with custom rims, according to the couple.
San Jose police said the suspects were wearing black baseball hats and masks.
Rodel and Erika believe they were targeted for their litter of French Bulldog puppies.
Rodel said he is going around the neighborhood asking residents for surveillance footage in the hopes of catching the suspects.
Anyone with information about the home invasion is asked to contact Detective Daren Reinke with the San Jose Police Department’s Robbery Unit at 408-277-4166. Those wishing to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 408-947-7867.
CORRECTION (6:30 a.m., July 17, 2020): A previous version of this story indicated that both suspects were armed. San Jose police said one of the suspects was armed.
