Two men commit home-invasion robbery in Newport

Two men posing as sheriff’s department officials handcuffed and

assaulted a Newport Beach man and woman during a home-invasion

robbery late Saturday in the Eastbluff neighborhood, police said.

Police believe the man was targeted and the robbery was an

isolated incident, said Lt. John Desmond.

“This was not a random crime,” Desmond said. “He was specifically

targeted, and so, as far as concern for the general community, we

don’t see any cause for alarm.”

Two men knocked on the door of a house in the 2100 block of Vista

Entrada at 11 p.m. Saturday, police said. They identified themselves

as being with the sheriff’s department and called the male resident

by name, saying they were serving an arrest warrant for him.

When he opened the door, the intruders handcuffed him and a female

resident, police said.

The intruders were inside the home for 45 minutes, during which

time they beat the male resident and sexually assaulted the woman,

Desmond said.

The male resident managed to escape and run to a neighbor’s house,

where he called police. By the time police arrived, the men had fled

the scene with watches, jewelry and an unknown amount of cash,

Desmond said.

Police searched the area but did not find either suspect, Desmond

said. The residents were both treated at Anaheim Memorial Medical

Center and released, Desmond said.

The violent robbery alarmed neighbors, who knew few details of

the incident days after it occurred.

Neighbor Randy Daniel, who lives several houses away in the quiet

community, said Monday he knew little about Saturday’s robbery and

was concerned it had not appeared in news reports.

“The more people hear tidbits about it, it’s going to be blown out

of proportion,” Daniel said. “There’s really no reason for anybody to

drive through here unless they’re going to their home. It’s not a

main thoroughfare.”

Daniel said the type of crime was unusual and “scary” for the

neighborhood.

Although the two robbers eluded police, the male resident told

police he saw a dark-colored SUV parked outside his home when the men

came to the door.

The men were wearing jackets and hats with the word “sheriff” on

them, police said. Imitation law enforcement uniforms are not hard to

buy online, said Orange County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Jon

Fleischman.

Using the fake uniform to impersonate an officer is a felony,

Fleischman said.