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A Grand Island couple and their two children were robbed and held hostage Saturday night into Sunday morning in a home-invasion robbery that lasted nearly six hours.
Maria Tapia, 29, of 560 E. 18th St. answered her door at 11:30 p.m. Saturday to a masked gunman who forced his way into her home and bound her hands with brown twine, said Grand Island police Capt. Robert Falldorf.
The gunman demanded money and jewelry.
After being held on her hands and knees in the home's hallway for about 30 minutes, her 11-month-old son began to cry. The robber let her go to the child, where she then was forced to sit on the end of the master bedroom bed with the infant and her 8-year-old son. The boys were not bound.
Tapia told police she could hear drawers being opened, cabinets opened and the voice of another man in the home.
The robber continued to check on Tapia and the boys about every 15 minutes, she said.
Tapia's husband, 32-year-old Gerardo, returned home about 4:30 a.m. Sunday with two friends. He entered the home to get a blanket for one friend who was going to sleep overnight in an outdoor shed.
As Gerardo Tapia entered the home, he told police, he was confronted by two men in ski masks who forced him to the ground.
Both had black 9 mm handguns and one also had a long rifle that Gerardo Tapia identified as an AR15.
Gerardo Tapia's hands were bound with brown twine and he was shot three times in the right ear with a high-powered BB gun. Police indicated Gerardo Tapia had a bloody ear with a hole in it, but he was not taken for any medical treatment.
The second friend then came into the home and was also confronted by the masked men. He was forced down next to Gerardo Tapia and his hands were bound with the twine and phone cords were wrapped around the legs of the friend and Gerardo Tapia.
The friend was identified as 33-year-old Agustin Gutierrez-Tapia, who lives at the same address. Falldorf said Agustin may be a relative of the Tapias, but that detail hadn't been confirmed Monday.
The other friend stayed in the shed the entire time and told police he heard and saw nothing.
Agustin told police a $1,300 gold bracelet and his cell phone were stolen by the robbers.
Cell phones from both Maria and Gerardo Tapia were also taken, along with keys to vehicles they own, Falldorf said.
The robbers then left and Gerardo Tapia was able to free himself, free his wife and they ran next door to call police.
The suspects were described as Hispanic males, 5 feet 6 inches tall, likely in their 20s.
"Obviously, there are two armed suspects out there that we need to be concerned about," Falldorf said.
He said it's not the first home-invasion robbery to happen in recent weeks. A similar incident occurred on Fourth Street about three weeks ago, he said.
He urged anyone with information about the robbery to call the Grand Island Police Department at 385-5400 or to call Crime Stoppers.
Falldorf also urged Grand Island residents to protect themselves from home-invasion robbery.
"Keep doors secured," he said.
Don't open your door to any suspicious person, particularly if they have a gun, Falldorf said.
He also advised people to report criminal activity as soon as they see or are experiencing it. Cell phones can be an immediate reporting tool, he said.
"This lasted about five to six hours and we could have been there in five minutes and maybe thwarted it," he said.
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