SAN ANTONIO -- People living in a Northwest Side neighborhood are rattled after robbers tied up a woman and her son inside their own home and held them at gunpoint over the weekend.
"You never expect that," said one neighbor. "You think you live in a safe neighborhood, and it turns out to be crazy sometimes."
Police say the men were wearing masks when they showed up looking for money. The robbery happened around 10:00 p.m. off of Silent Hills on the Northwest Side.
A neighbor called 9-1-1 after the home invasion ended. He was still shaken up when he spoke to News 4 WOAI about the robbery.
"I heard someone ringing the doorbell frantically, knocking on the door frantically," the neighbor told News 4 WOAI. "We get to the door and it turns out the lady... Had been attacked."
Adela Ramirez ran to his home asking for help.
"She was just scared," the neighbor said. "She was shivering. She was scared."
Police believe the robbers waited for Ramirez outside her home, and then forced her inside once she got to the front door.
"When our suspects approached, they were armed with handguns and had bandannas over their faces," said Sgt. Chris Benavides of the San Antonio Police Department. "And they spoke primarily in Spanish."
The Ramirez family owns several local businesses, including the Culebra Meat Market off of Pinn Road. Police are investigating the possibility they were targeted by people who knew them.
"This was not a random act," added Sgt. Benavides. "It looks like an isolated incident. It looks like our suspects knew the husband. So, our investigators are looking into that possibility, looking into what business ties they had, if any."
The robbers got away with a vehicle, a cell phone, more than $30,000 in jewelry, and nearly $7,000 in cash.
But to neighbors, the robbers also got away with the sense of security they have grown used to having.
Police say the homeowner did everything right last night. She didn't fight her attackers and wasn't confrontational. They said that is probably what kept her and her son alive.
If you have any information about Sunday night's robbery, call police at 210-207-SAPD (7273) or Crime Stoppers at 210-224-STOP (7867).
