January 26, 2012
Police investigate Edmond home invasion

Mark Schlachtenhaufen The Edmond Sun

EDMOND — An Oklahoma City man and a juvenile were arrested Thursday after a home invasion and pursuit that ended with the getaway car crashing into a west Edmond utility pole, police said.

Police spokeswoman Glynda Chu said two residents were home in the Coffee Creek Estates area in northwest Edmond when someone knocked on the door. One of the residents, a woman, went to answer the door. Two young men were there.

“First, this young man said he wanted to do some yard work,” Chu said. “She said they didn’t need any yard work. At that point, they kicked in the door, came into the house.”

At that point, the incident became a home invasion, Chu said. The suspects took the residents to another area of the home and held them at gunpoint for at least 15 minutes, adding kidnapping to the list of offenses, Chu said. The suspects ransacked the house and took numerous items out of the house, she said.

Chu said because the suspects took the woman’s cell phone, she had to go next door where she called the Police Department at 3:02 p.m. The woman gave police a good description of the vehicle, she said.

After the suspects left the house, officers were able to locate the vehicle quickly and a pursuit began, Chu said. The suspects led police down Edmond Road to Western Avenue, Chu said. They went south on Western where the vehicle left the street and crashed into a utility pole at 168th Street and Western, Chu said.

An 18-year-old Oklahoma City man and a 16-year-old juvenile from Oklahoma City were arrested, Chu said. They received some minor injuries when they crashed into the utility pole, Chu said. After they were booked into the city jail they would be transported to a hospital to be examined and then on to the county jail, she said.

Police identified Kylen Whitehorn, 18, of Oklahoma City, as one of the suspects.

In addition to kidnapping, the suspects face complaints of first-degree burglary, concealing stolen property and evading arrest, Chu said. Other charges may be forthcoming, she said. Police recovered a handgun from the vehicle.

The victims were not injured in what was probably a random incident in a nice neighborhood, Chu said.

“We really want to caution people,” she said. “Don’t open your door to a stranger.”

In this case the woman did open the door to a stranger, but it’s difficult to say if not opening it would have made a difference, Chu said. If the suspects thought no one was home they might have kicked the door in anyway, she said.

“If you see somebody suspicious in your neighborhood, if you feel uncomfortable, please call 911 immediately,” Chu said. “We’re very fortunate today that no one was seriously injured in this event.”

marks@edmondsun.com | 341-2121, ext. 108

http://www.edmondsun.com/local/x647573511/Police-investigate-Edmond-home-invasion?mailingdate=201201270700

Check out the proper way to respond to the door,

http://www.crimeseen.com/content/when-stranger-knocks-how-do-you-respond

Discuss this with your friends and family before they become a victim.