It happened on English and Irvington just before 11pm.
"Everybody thinks they're safe and secure, but something like this happening makes you reevaluate everything and look again," said one resident, who we'll call 'Mark.'
'Mark' usually walks his dog at night, but what happened on his street Monday night was so terrifying that he was out for a walk Tuesday morning after the sun was up. He requested we conceal his identity.
"It's a little scary and makes you think of the randomness of it and if could happen to you," he said.
Police say the three armed men wearing ski masks broke into the home of one of Mark's neighbors.
The intruders beat the homeowner in his living room as he tried to reason with them, saying his wife and young children were upstairs sleeping. One of the suspects checked, came back downstairs and suddenly all of them left.
Police believe they targeted the wrong house. After the ordeal, the homeowners left a message on their front door, "Yes, we are freaked out, and heavily armed. Don't come near our house."
"That's really scary because I feel like we live in a safe neighborhood here," said neighbor Emily Duncan-Tobar.
The north side neighborhood is working-class, described as home to many law enforcement officers, even the Harris County sheriff.
"I know policemen in this area who patrol the area. I see them pretty regularly around and know them on a first name basis," said Duncan-Tobar.
But now perceived security may not be enough to ever reinstate Mark's piece of mind or those late night walks with his dog.
"I've literally lived on this block my entire life and it's something that is a rarity," he said. "There have been some break-ins over the last 50 years but it's a rare thing."
The husband was hit over the head with a pistol. His neighbors say he is still a little sore and shaken from the ordeal. His wife and children were not harmed.
The suspects remain at large. Police are asking anyone with information to give them a call.
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