This article first appeared on HaltonHillsToday Oct. 19.
An Acton couple is still reeling after a terrifying break-in attempt at their home earlier this month.
“It’s still hard to go to sleep at night,” said the female resident, who asked to remain anonymous. “People need to know this wasn’t just teenagers, this was a very aggressive attack.”
The couple was sleeping in their Dairy Drive home Oct. 12 when they were woken up by a loud banging noise at their front door around 1:45 a.m. They went to investigate and found a masked man trying to kick in the front door.
“We just kind of panicked,” the local woman said.
The male resident ran and leaned against the door.
He said the masked man then took out a gun, raised it to the window and yelled, “Open the f***** door or I will f****** kill you.”
While police initially didn’t indicate a weapon was involved when providing information to HaltonHillsToday, when asked again about the incident, they did confirm that a firearm was seen and threats were made.
With young children sleeping in the house, the Acton man said he wanted to do everything he could to keep the intruder out.
“I ducked under the window (in the door), but I kept leaning against it. I know that’s not going to do much against a gun, but I thought if he gets in the house, he’s going to kill us.”
Meanwhile, the female resident was calling 911. The operator asked how many people were outside. She went to the window, saw the man kicking the door, another on the front step and two more on the lawn, all wearing masks and hoods.
“I didn’t even think about (how dangerous it was going to the window), but one of the men on the lawn saw me on the phone and motioned to the others,” she said.
All four men then ran off.
As the couple waited for police to arrive, they couldn’t help but wonder if their nightmare was over. Had the intruders left? Were they looking for another way in?
“We were terrified,” the female resident said.
Five Halton police cruisers arrived shortly after.
The couple was left wondering why the intruders picked their house.
“We don’t have anything worth stealing. We don’t have expensive cars,” the Acton woman said. “I know sometimes these things are just random, but it seemed targeted.”
“Our porch was brightly lit, yet they still chose our house,” the male resident said. “They weren’t deterred by me. It seemed like nothing was stopping them until they realized the police had been called.”
The noise at their front door was loud enough to wake a neighbour. Both residents said they weren’t able to see any identifying features of any of the men.
They have since purchased security cameras for their house, but are still unsettled from the night’s events.
“It was traumatic enough without them getting in,” the female resident said. “Who knows what would have happened if they did get in?"
Police say they're actively investigating the incident. Anyone with information can contact police at 905-825-4777 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or haltoncrimestoppers.ca.
