Sumpter Township police thwart armed home invasion
Police have arrested all four suspects in an armed home invasion that occurred Thursday night in the 44000 block of Wear Road, according to the Sumpter Township Police Department.
Sumpter Township Police officials said a call was received at about 10:24 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 27 reporting a home invasion in progress. The caller was not a resident of the home but a friend of the victims who was on a FaceTime video call with them when she witnessed them being ambushed and assaulted, police said. The call was disconnected during the attack.
Investigators said four armed men — carrying rifles and handguns — had staked out the residence before stealthily approaching the home and confronting the people inside. Officers said one resident was pistol-whipped and handcuffed while the suspects demanded money, firearms and other valuables.
The assault was interrupted when officers arrived at the scene, police said, and the four suspects fled into a heavily wooded area nearby.
Multiple agencies joined the search using drones, K-9 units and a Michigan State Police aviation unit. Three suspects were taken into custody during the initial search, police said.
The fourth suspect remained at large for about 11 hours. Police said a resident called in a tip after seeing a man leave the wooded area along Wear Road and get into a waiting vehicle. Officers took the man into custody around 9:30 a.m. Friday, according to police reports.
Long-time Sumpter Township Trustee Tim Rush said police reports indicated officers were on the scene within 3 minutes of the initial report and in about 2 minutes when the call about the fourth suspect was received. Rush said he was told that none of the suspects spoke English and an interpreter had to be called from another department following the arrests. He said his information was that all four suspects were illegal immigrants.
“Our police department proved how professional and efficient these officers are,” Rush said. “This is such a safe community because of them.”
Police said the victims' dog, named Chip, went missing during the chaos of the home invasion, but was later found and returned home.
The Sumpter Township Police Department credited assisting agencies, including the Huron Township, Van Buren, Pittsfield Township, Milan and Monroe police departments, the Huron-Clinton Metropark Police, the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office, and Michigan State Police canine, aviation and emergency services units.
Anthony Carlo Marquez, 39, Einer Eloy Altamirano Barbosa, 24, and Gilbert David Machado Gonzalez, 20, all of Detroit, along with Jesus D. Blanco Amador, 34, of Cornelia, Georgia, have been arraigned on charges of one count of armed robbery, one count of first-degree home invasion, one count of felonious assault, two counts of unlawful imprisonment and four counts of felony firearm - pneumatic gun.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Sumpter Township Police Department Detective Bureau at (734) 461-4833, ext. 4.
