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Caught on Camera: Fake Delivery Men Sought in Garden Grove Home-Invasion Robberies

The robbers used flowers and balloons as a ruse during the home invasions, police said

Police are searching for three to four fake delivery men who carried out two home-invasion robberies in Southern California this week.

The first robbery took place Monday in the 13500 block of Merello Street (map), the Garden Grove Police Department said.

Three teens were home alone when they heard a knock at the front door, investigators said. The teens said two males holding a bouquet of flowers told them they were trying to make a delivery. When the teens opened the door, three robbers entered the home with guns drawn. The robbers tied up the teens and left with property, but police did not specify what was stolen.

A surveillance video located outside of the front door captured the moments when the suspects ran in and out of the home.

The second robbery was reported about 11 a.m. Wednesday at a gated complex in the 8500 block of Hewitt Place (map), police said.

Three males holding several balloons entered a home through an open garage door, investigators said. Once inside, the robbers demanded valuables. They also zip-tied three adults and two children and pushed them into a closet.

A witness told police the males left with the balloons.

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"They seem to be specifically targeting the Vietnamese community inside of our city," said police Lt. Jeff Nightengale.

Nightengale said the robbers have been covering their tracks by wearing gloves and wiping down surfaces.

According to investigators, the victims in the second robbery said they believe the males captured in the surveillance video were the same group who robbed them.

No further details were released in either case.

The robbers were described as three black males wearing black clothing and jackets. One of them was wearing gold-framed aviator-style sunglasses and high-top sneakers with white soles. He appeared 20-to-30 years old, 6 feet tall, weighing between 240 and 270 pounds.

Anyone with information is asked call Garden Grove police at 714-741-5800.

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