Man and woman tied up, locked in car trunk, during La Puente home-invasion robbery

LA PUENTE -- Two masked attackers bound a husband and wife and locked them in the trunk of their car during a home-invasion robbery early Wednesday, authorities said.

A man in his 50s was leaving his home in the 17000 block of Main Street about 1:50 a.m. when he was confronted outside his garage by two robbers described only as black men wearing ski masks, Los Angeles County sheriff's officials said in a written statement.

The attackers ordered the man back into the home and demanded $200,000, Lt. Joe Chavez said. The victim told them he did not have that kind of money.

"The victim was hit on the head with a handgun, causing the gun to discharge into the ceiling of the residence. The victim was tied up with electrical cords and ordered to the ground," Chavez said.

"The victim's wife, who was also inside the residence, was tied up and both victims were locked in the trunk of their car inside the garage," he said.

The robbers then ransacked the couple's home, helping themselves to about $2,400, officials said.

After the attackers fled, the couple was able to free themselves by using a trunk release mechanism inside the trunk and call for help, Sgt. Tom Wilson said. The husband was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

The investigation was ongoing early Wednesday, he said. It was unclear if the attack was random or targeted, or why the robbers seemed to believe the couple had hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash.

There was no initial indication the crime was linked to other recent home-invasions. A couple in their 60s were the victims of a home invasion Monday in Sherman Oaks, police said, and a father of three was shot to death a Dec. 12 in Arcadia during a home-invasion.

Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff's Industry Station at 626-330-3322.