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EAST HOLLYWOOD (CNS) - Five men wearing masks and wielding firearms carried out a home invasion in East Hollywood early Tuesday, using zip ties to bind some of the victims who were believed to be staying at an Airbnb rental.
Los Angeles Police Department officers were called to the 400 block of North Heliotrope Drive at 4:07 a.m. where they learned the suspects, who were wearing dark clothing and ski masks, entered the residence and took an undisclosed amount of property, LAPD Officer Norma Eiseman told City News Service.
The robbers left in an unknown direction. There was no suspect description.
One of the women who was in the house told a videographer at the scene that she awoke to the sound of one of her friends screaming and then realized they were being robbed by armed gunmen. She said six of her friends were bound with zip ties while the suspects carried out the heist. She said she and some other were able to escape by crawling out a window.
Police said the suspects were armed with rifles and handguns.
The victims had just arrived in the Los Angeles area on a visit from Minnesota, witnesses said, and the suspects stole their phones, purses and other items.
Police said no one was injured during the robbery.