Father ‘pistol-whipped,’ children duct taped during North Carolina robbery

(NORTH CAROLINA) — A family of four were assaulted after an early-morning robbery in the small North Carolina city of Morganton, according to police.

Officers initially responded to the incident at approximately 4 a.m. Saturday, finding two adults and two children who reported that they had been assaulted by three intruders, according to the Morganton Department of Public Safety.

A Morganton Department of Public Safety representative told ABC News that two of the three intruders were armed, though police are not releasing information on the type of weapons the intruders used.

Investigators said that the intruders duct taped the mouths and hands of the 6- and 7-year-old children and placed them in a closet, according to ABC affiliate WSOC, which reports the mother was also assaulted and the father was “pistol-whipped” by the intruders.

The family, whose identities were not released, told WSOC that they were staying temporarily in the house while their home is under construction.

“The only thing I can say is it was traumatic,” the female adult victim told WSOC. “Looking back now, I don’t know why we are still living. I woke up with an AR-15 pointed to my head, and I watched as they pistol-whipped my husband.”

Unable to locate the perpetrators following the break-in, law enforcement used a reverse 911 call to notify the surrounding area about the dangerous suspects, according to the Morganton Department of Public Safety.

The family told WSOC that the intruders wore ski masks and demanded money, including their Social Security and work checks, while robbing the home.

No arrests have been made in the case. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Morganton Department of Public Safety at 828-437-1211.

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