INDIANA, Pa. — Four men are facing charges after a home invasion and armed robbery of Indiana University of Pennsylvania college students Wednesday morning.
According to police, officers were dispatched to a home on Locust Street in Indiana just before 5 a.m. for the report of a home invasion.
https://twitter.com/WPXIJoeHolden/status/539993247377272832
The victims told officers two armed men entered their house and robbed them of about $1,000 in cash, a PlayStation 4, video games, a book bag, a container with loose change and about a half-pound of marijuana.
"What it tells me is these people were legitimately scared. I mean, they were so scared about being robbed that they weren't going to hesitate coming forward and being truthful about what was stolen from them," said Indiana County District Attorney Patrick Dougherty.
The victims told police one of the robbers’s guns discharged and struck the floor during the incident.
While searching the exterior of the home, police found two men hiding in a parked car. Inside the vehicle, police said, were two loaded guns and all of the stolen property.
The suspects were identified as Dominique Green, of Sharon, and Torrance Hawkins, of Youngstown, Ohio.
According to police, Green and Hawkins were arrested and charged with robbery, theft by unlawful taking, recklessly endangering another person, simple assault and persons not to possess firearms.
Police said that through investigation, it was determined that two male guests inside the house -- identified as Marcus Harden, of Sharon, and Alvin Hancock, of Farrell -- had arrived in the suspects’ vehicle.
They were subsequently arrested for conspiracy to robbery and conspiracy to theft, police said.
Dougherty told Channel 11's Joe Holden the case was somewhat of an inside job because the victims were allegedly set up.
“It's one of those situations where if I had a gun stuck in my face, I'd probably tell police everything I knew,” Dougherty said.
The four men were committed to the Indiana County Jail on $75,000.00 straight cash bond, police said. They face a preliminary hearing Dec. 15.