A Banning man suspected of breaking into a home in a Westminster cul-de-sac and tying up a family – including two children and an elderly woman – was charged on Wednesday, Sept. 13, with one count of kidnapping to commit robbery and five counts of robbery, according to court records.
Just before 11 p.m. Monday, a woman called authorities whispering that she needed help at a residence in the 8900 block of Pebble Beach Circle, according to the Westminster Police Department. Officers arrived in less than three minutes and saw four men wearing masks and armed with handguns running out the front door of the home, police said in a news release.
The men had forced their way into the residence, with one using a stun gun on a victim to gain compliance, police said. The home is near the intersection of McFadden Avenue and Magnolia Street.
The victims, including an elderly woman, a man, a 14-year-old boy and a 7-year-old girl, were then tied up in the living room, with the men demanding to know where their valuables were kept.
A fifth victim, the woman who had called authorities, was able to hide in a closet until authorities arrived.
Danny Sommay, a Banning resident, was taken into arrested in front of the residence after throwing his handgun over a brick wall, police said. The gun was stolen, according to police.
Sommay, 29, did not enter a plea at his arraignment in the jail courtroom in Santa Ana on Wednesday. He will face sentencing enhancements for using a gun and a stun gun in the attack.
The other men managed to evade arrest on Monday and authorities were continuing their search on Wednesday. Descriptions of the suspects were not available.
It was not immediately clear if any of them knew the family, or why the family would have been targeted.
Anyone with additional information about this robbery should contact Detective M. Pierson at 714-548-3759, or Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS or by logging on to www.occrimestoppers.org.
City News Service contributed to this story.
