"They bound his hands and his body, and they bound his arms to his body with duct tape," said Lt. Jeff Stauber with the Harris County Safe Homes Task Force.
The homeowner, unable to free himself or call for help, spent the night tied up on his bedroom floor, according to the sheriff's office. The next day the suspects returned and spent about two hours cleaning the house, trying to get rid of evidence, with the victim still restrained in the bedroom.
Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia put it bluntly, "There's no other word to say -- they are thugs, they are low lives, they are dogs, and they need to be out of our community."
On the morning of May 5, the 76-year-old victim reportedly thought he was going to die and decided to seek help. Officials say he somehow managed to roll out his back door, down a 100-foot driveway and down to the road. He lay there until a passing motorist stopped and freed him. The victim was taken to an area hospital for treatment.
Sheriff Garcia said, "This 76-year-old victim demonstrated to us the will to survive, the tenacity to push through tremendous odds, and tremendous gumption."
On May 16, deputies arrested two suspects in connection to the case. They are identified as Erick Carranza and Junior Velasquez. Both are charged with aggravated robbery and unlawful restraint-serious bodily injury.
It's still unclear why the two accused burglars targeted that elderly man. Investigators say families should feel safer knowing they're behind bars.
