Scottsdale, AZ man tied up and robbed by multiple armed intruders.

A guy in Scottsdale here was on the news explaining that he awoke to men entering his bedroom with lights/guns. He was tied up and beaten and the house was ransacked. The men asked "where's the money?" and "where's your safe?"

This story (assuming not some fake staged thing) was concerning. This guy made a few idiotic mistakes. Apparently his car was stolen earlier, and he believes the intruders could have used the garage door opener for a follow up crime. (Stupid not to reprogram his garage)

But this event illustrated to me the huge importance of not allowing intruders to get the upper hand in your/our homes. The idea of having to open safes and turn over good weapons to scumbags is horrifying. Something to be mindful of....

Point taken, but I have multiple questions regarding this individual and the actions taken against the alleged victim.
Whether the victim was “in the game” or just merely signaling as a target of opportunity or high reward there are likely circumstances we will never know.

I’ve been involved in at least 60 incidents that have made “the paper” and at best the most factually correct incidents are horribly vague. I’ve been referred to by name about 6 times. My name has been spelled correctly no more than twice…and it isn’t difficult.

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Originally Posted by pointblank4445

Whether the victim was “in the game” or just merely signaling as a target of opportunity or high reward there are likely circumstances we will never know.

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Judging by how involved he interviewed the news, he doesn't seem to have anything to hide from L.E. His place was trashed. He could have been a mistaken target, but no telling.

My whole thing is to point out how ugly it could be if you lose the upper hand in your own home. If someone has you getting your weapons for them at gunpoint, that's bad bad bad.

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Originally Posted by markm

Judging by how involved he interviewed the news, ....but no telling.

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If there is more to the story, it's unlikely to be in the news for a while...if ever. One of the first things I learned on the job after seeing it a few times is how often suspects are described by peers "oh, (name) would never do that". You never know what dirt people are into. Assume everyone has capacity to do the worst things.

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Originally Posted by markm

My whole thing is to point out how ugly it could be if you lose the upper hand in your own home.

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Yup...and I agree with re-doing/securing the doors after entry access was compromised , but remember:

https://anxietyofauthorship.files.wo...6/06/wofl2.jpg

...if they want it bad enough, they'll figure out a way.

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Originally Posted by markm

If someone has you getting your weapons for them at gunpoint, that's bad bad bad.

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Was the house ransacked and they discovered the safe? Or did they know the target had enough guns to necessitate a safe. The remarks about the cash are odd too. How did they know he had cash?...in 2021, cash hoardes are hit or miss depending on the individual. I'd also be curious to know the timeline and the details of the vehicle theft. Elapsed time between the incidents, what was stolen and how, was the vehicle stickered up or indicative like victim is a "gun person"?
It seems like victim was left alive...I find that interesting as well.

Just a few things off the top of my head that I wonder about. It may very well be just someone that looked like a good mark and got unlucky.

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Originally Posted by markm

Judging by how involved he interviewed the news, he doesn't seem to have anything to hide from L.E. His place was trashed. He could have been a mistaken target, but no telling.

My whole thing is to point out how ugly it could be if you lose the upper hand in your own home. If someone has you getting your weapons for them at gunpoint, that's bad bad bad.

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As crappy as that was, it's not even close to an example how just how ugly that could be...

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Originally Posted by markm

Judging by how involved he interviewed the news, he doesn't seem to have anything to hide from L.E. His place was trashed. He could have been a mistaken target, but no telling.

My whole thing is to point out how ugly it could be if you lose the upper hand in your own home. If someone has you getting your weapons for them at gunpoint, that's bad bad bad.

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I would have expected the remaining drawers on the dresser to be removed. If the homeowner put them back, he would have closed them. Why was the cover on his briefcase torn? He looked to be in pretty good shape for someone who was beaten.

I am not saying it did not happen, but I do have questions about the scene.

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Originally Posted by T2C

I would have expected the remaining drawers on the dresser to be removed. If the homeowner put them back, he would have closed them. Why was the cover on his briefcase torn? He looked to be in pretty good shape for someone who was beaten.

I am not saying it did not happen, but I do have questions about the scene.

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Yeah, I just saw one of the vids, and 100% agree. I now have more questions...

And people wonder why I keep a sidearm within reach and an AR at my bedside in the studio...

Simple precautions, may have mitigated this event. Perhaps securely locked windows & doors with high quality locks; alarm systems, a dog or two that bark... alot, motion sensor lighting at all entries, cameras, or a simple ring door bell(s) at all home entrances, alarmed garage doors, alarm panic button at bedside, firearm at bedside, live in an armed guard gated community if possible, just to mention a few. The aforementioned suggestions are just a given to some individuals.

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Originally Posted by pointblank4445

Was the house ransacked and they discovered the safe?

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Just based on the guy's comments, I don't think there was a safe. He had one gun taken. I think they were just fishing for a safe or a cash stash... His biggest loss was his father's watch.

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Originally Posted by Tanner

Simple precautions, may have mitigated this event.

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Absolutely. Dogs, etc. Assuming the attack is real, there's a lot of steps that could have tipped the scales in the favor of the victim.

The wife and I lock the door between the house and the attached garage every night. You do not need a garage door opener to gain access and the time it takes to kick in the inside door will buy you a few seconds time.

Windows can be broken, alarms deactivated and unless you have 360 degree outside camera coverage, home invaders can work around your camera system. If a person can move to a camera without being seen, spray foam can be used to block the lens. At least one dog, inside the home, is a great idea.

The whole family should participate in practicing what to do in the event of a home invasion. If a firearm is part of the home security plan, the whole family should know what is gong to happen and who is going to do it. Don't rule out having at least one edged weapon within arms reach of where you are sleeping. Keep a cell phone next to the bed.

Things can get really ugly in a hurry and it helps to have a plan in place.

Old thread, but just taken at face value, all the obvious stuff he should have already been doing seems like (for this specific as-given)

*Reprogram garage door opener or take it offline entirely immediately after opener is stolen
*Always lock door from garage to home
*Have alarm system at minimum on all doors, windows, and the big garage doors, and arm it at minimum while in bed, asleep, or away. In this case, as given, the alarm would wake you up as soon as the opened the main garage door, and they'd still have a locked door between them and the house.

Simple stuff.

Cameras and dogs a bonus. Cameras aren't too hard to set up so that approaching one guarantees you are in frame for that one or another. And it's not too hard, for most homes, to cover all windows and doors with a camera while also covering all cameras with a camera. Little bit of a deterrent, and nice to have when you are away from home/out of town.


Of course, most of the population walk around in Condition White (aka head up ass) and think it "won't happen to me" so, simple stuff is rarely done

Situational awareness is an important aspect of your personal security.

I walked through a local gun shop/range yesterday. There were several patrons, 2 walking out of the range and the rest
shopping. There were also 3 employees, so there were approximately 10 people in the building. Out of the people I observed 1 customer and 2 employees had their heads up looking around. Everyone else in the building was looking down, intently focused on their cell phones.

After a neighbor's house was burglarized some years ago I put in door jamb armor hopefully making a kick-in pretty hard. Later I put in double cylinder deadbolts so if they come in a window they probably aren't leaving out a door.

Took my wife out dancing Thursday night. On a street that sees a fair number of drunks, panhandlers, and fights that spill out into the sidewalk, we spied a grown man walking up and down the sidewalk with face looking down at his phone the entire time.

My wife is new to this country but she's learning fast to keep her head up and on a swivel. I got rid of my smartphone since I realized I too was addicted to it. Flip phones don't seem to cause anyone to stare at them while walking. :big_boss:

Several years ago I read on Parallax Bill's C&R Forum how a member left his garage door raised about a foot so his cat could come and go. He looked up from his paper to find several young men in his living room pointing guns at him. They made off with all his safe contents plus his car. I have neighbors now that do the same thing with their garage doors and me telling them that story has had no effect on the habit.