The Region - News from June 11, 1986

Five young men apparently bent on robbing a house in north Irvine ran away when a resident confronted them and began screaming, police said. The would-be robbers, in their late teens or early 20s, pulled pistols when they saw the woman, police said. Then the woman screamed. “There wasn’t even any dialogue,” Irvine Police Sgt. Leo Jones said. “They just (turned around) and split.” Police believe that the intruders intended to rob a specific house but realized they were in the wrong residence when they were confronted. “People don’t randomly rob houses,” Jones said. “Usually, they target a residence.” The five did not force their way into the house, he said. “They probably just walked through an unlocked front door.”