Alarm alerts police to active home invasion at Richmond home

RICHMOND, TX (KTRK) -- A Fort Bend County family is thankful for their burglar alarm after they say it alerted the authorities while they were being held at gunpoint.

There were four cameras set up around the house. While they didn't catch everything, detectives are hoping they caught enough to capture the men.

The family-of-three was returning from a church function to their River Park West home when Sheriff's deputies say two men followed them as they pulled into their garage.

The mother, father and daughter were forced to the floor by a pointed pistol, and the two thieves demanded cash. But as the men ransacked the home, Sheriff's deputies were on their way because the father had tripped the panic alarm.

"He saw the deputy at the front door and the family says that he yelled, 'The police are here!' so they went out the back," Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office Detective David Williams said.

A deputy arrived to see one of the men through the window with a gun. He confronted the deputy and the deputy fired at him.

"The guy was -- what he believed to be -- pulling the gun from the waistband," Williams said.

"I did hear something like gunshots but I wasn't sure. I mean, you hear gunshots and you aren't going to try and come outside or anything like that," said a neighbor, who identified himself only as Wendell.

The thieves were scared off before they got away with much, leaving stolen goods in bags inside the home. And that's not all: One of the men dropped his hat at the scene.

While they both got away, sheriff's deputies hope by releasing these pictures, it's not for long.

"This is a pretty new neighborhood and for something like this to happen is very scary," Wendell said.

The suspects got away in what was described as a small white four-door car.

Anyone with information about the identity of the suspect is asked to contact Crime Stoppers of Houston at (713) 222-TIPS (8477). Crime Stoppers will pay up to $5,000 for any information called in to the 713-222-TIPS (8477) or submitted online at www.crime-stoppers.org that leads to the filing of felony charges or arrest of the suspect in this case. Tips can also be sent by text message. Text TIP610 plus your tip to CRIMES (274637). All tipsters remain anonymous.