Residents shocked after violent break-in at mobile home: 'This is very rare'
Two suspects came into this Pittsfield Township mobile home, pistol-whipped a 31-year-old mom and held a gun to her toddler's head Wednesday before making off with undisclosed property.
John Counts | AnnArbor.com
The female victim of Wednesday’s home invasion in Pittsfield Township was clearly distraught when her husband, Pedro Salazar, brought her home around 4 p.m.
Salazar issued one statement to AnnArbor.com: “She’s doing OK.”
The husband did not want to comment beyond that because of the harrowing day his wife had experienced.
Around 10:40 a.m., two men broke into their mobile home on the 300 block of Hazelwood Trail, pistol-whipped Salazar’s 31-year-old wife and held a gun to her toddler's head before fleeing with undisclosed property, according to Pittsfield Township police.
Many residents were shocked at what had happened in this quiet mobile home community off of Michigan Avenue and Carpenter Road.
Just hours after the incident, kids on bikes were pedaling peacefully through the streets of Arbor Meadows. Residents tended to their lawns and gardens. Neighbors gossiped on the sidewalk. Much of the talk was about the police and fire vehicles coming in and out of the park.
Roxianie Vargas has lived in the park for 12 years. She said someone once broke into her mobile home and stole something, but the intruder didn’t even break the window. They lifted it open.
But that was years ago.
“Almost nothing happens here,” she said. “Today really surprised me.”
Megan Cates was at work during the home invasion, but was equally surprised to hear about it.
“I never would have expected anything like that to happen,” she said. “That’s scary. (There are) usually nice people here.”
Fred Flynn said the community saw quite a lot of action Tuesday. He was coming home from running errands when he had to stop for Pittsfield Township police coming into the park with their lights flashing around 10:55 a.m.
Then he saw another cruiser.
And then another.
“They continued to cruise the park for four hours,” he said.
The police presence is abnormal for the area, according to Flynn.
“This is very rare. We have basic teeny bopper thievery, but nothing with weaponry,” he said. “It’s a rarity. This takes us up a notch.”
John Counts covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at johncounts@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
HONDO
Wed, Nov 28, 2012 : 7:39 p.m.
too bad nobody saw anything...... prolly could have helped
Tru2Blu76
Thu, Jun 7, 2012 : 10:57 p.m.
Dark irony at work: people move to "quiet neighborhoods" because they ARE "quiet" historically - but then predatory home invaders PREFER such neighborhoods because residents think they are protected by the "quietness" and are unprepared, completely vulnerable. As for the idea that people shouldn't have to be "looking over their shoulder" for trouble: one can only wonder what kind of education in human behavior gave rise to such a ridiculous notion. Preparedness and alertness are not "burdens" but are a part of the necessary skill set for all humans. Lazy thinkers pipe dreams not withstanding.
JRW
Thu, Jun 7, 2012 : 10:54 p.m.
This is a terrible crime. One issue comes to mind, the strength of the doors and windows in mobile homes. The photo looks like a nice place, but I would wonder if it's possible to strengthen the doors in particular, and make it much harder to force them or break them. On mobile homes I've seen, the doors are not that strong and the locks are somewhat flimsy. I mention this since violent home invasions are happening in the A2 area and not going away, unfortunately. I hope the victim recovers.
Gargoyle
Thu, Jun 7, 2012 : 4:25 p.m.
What, no description of the suspects?
John Counts
Thu, Jun 7, 2012 : 7:53 p.m.
We broke the story yesterday afternoon a couple hours after the incident occurred. The suspect description was included in that earlier story, which was linked in this follow-up, as well. In case you missed the link, here it is again: http://annarbor.com/news/crime/robbers-pistol-whip-mom-assault-toddler-during-home-invasion/
Alan Goldsmith
Thu, Jun 7, 2012 : 7:40 p.m.
The Ann Arbor Journal got the story. Don't worry: "One suspect is described as a white male, approximately 25 years old, 5 feet, 10 inches tall, with a thin build, light colored hair and an unshaven face. He was last seen wearing a light green shirt, light blue jeans and a white baseball cap. The other suspect is described as a Hispanic male, approximately 25 years old, 5 feet, 10 inches tall, with a stocky build. He was wearing a long-sleeve black shirt, dark blue jeans and a mask."
JustInTime
Thu, Jun 7, 2012 : 3:07 a.m.
How ironic to see both this story and another story titled "Police coverage may be down, but Ann Arbor remains a safe town" in the Top Stories... Really?!
WalkingJoe
Thu, Jun 7, 2012 : 12:27 p.m.
Agreed YpsiVeteran. I guess people who live in Ann Arbor think only about Ann Arbor.
YpsiVeteran
Thu, Jun 7, 2012 : 3:16 a.m.
How does a crime in Pittsfield Township reflect on Ann Arbor safety?
Ricebrnr
Thu, Jun 7, 2012 : 2:14 a.m.
Sigh..once again, "rare" is not the same as never. However you choose to respond, first you must accept that these attrocities are possible, and then prepare...
Tru2Blu76
Thu, Jun 7, 2012 : 11:05 p.m.
Right on, Ricebrnr! Just be careful you don't get censored for "blaming the victim(s)."
RJA
Thu, Jun 7, 2012 : 2:01 a.m.
This is so sad for the young toddler and her mommy. How would anyone know what was taken from the home (with the mom being whipped) I just hope the suspects are caught soon.
DBH
Thu, Jun 7, 2012 : 1:57 a.m.
Things could have turned out much worse, of course, and all can be thankful that they did not. I have to question, though, why AnnArbor.com chose to publish a photograph of the victims' house. It seems unnecessarily intrusive, allowing someone to likely identify the specific address of the house if they made the effort to do so. Providing the neighborhood and street would have been enough to sufficiently inform readers.
craigjjs
Thu, Jun 7, 2012 : 4:40 p.m.
Would that be because the criminals did not know what home they were invading and just wander aimlessly? The picture does not increase any risk
WalkingJoe
Thu, Jun 7, 2012 : 12:31 p.m.
DBH, you are so right. Hopefully this won't entice the criminals to come back and do something worse.
ms.harmon
Thu, Jun 7, 2012 : 1:42 a.m.
who cares what was going on there they didnt deserve to be robbed of their security their home and who knows if them kids will ever be ok to be in a home alone someone scared them people for the rest of their lives i fell sorry for them and pray they will all be ok and they catch the perpatrators that did it ....no respect for human and no respect for themselves what if that was their parents?????????????? how would you feel then
hepcat
Thu, Jun 7, 2012 : 1:35 a.m.
I'm waiting for the rest of the story.
YpsiVeteran
Thu, Jun 7, 2012 : 12:29 a.m.
How awful, both for the victim and her neighbors, none of whom will now be able to feel safe in their own homes anymore. It's a terrible thing to feel like you have to be constantly looking over your shoulder in your own house. I hope they catch these animals quickly. People who would do what's been described are not your run-of-the-mill B&E'ers.