LOWER LAKE — On Monday at about 8 a.m., sheriff”s deputies responded to a residence on Morgan Valley Road in Lower Lake on a report of a possible home invasion with shots fired, according to Capt. James Bauman of the Lake County Sheriff”s Office (LCSO).
Units from the California Highway Patrol (CHP) and the Clearlake Police Department also responded to assist.
When the first deputies arrived, they located 33-year-old Dustin Lee Wilson of Clearlake on the side of Morgan Valley Road.
Wilson was bleeding from the arm and wearing only a pair of sweat pants.
As additional units continued to arrive in the area, Wilson told deputies that he and a friend, later identified as 27-year-old Michelle Truong, were asleep inside her home on Morgan Valley when they were awakened by two unidentified men, one of whom had a gun to Wilson”s head.
A struggle ensued and Wilson managed to run from the house as one of the men fired several shots at him. Wilson told deputies he believed Truong, and possibly his 10-year old son, were being held hostage in the home by the men.
For about 45 minutes, law enforcement secured a perimeter in the area, notified area schools to lock down the campuses, initiated potential responses by outside agencies for air support, and started a call-out for the LCSO SWAT team.
When a call was made into the home however, Truong exited the home and told deputies the men were gone. Deputies made entry into the home and verified the suspects were in fact gone and SWAT was canceled.
It was later learned that Wilson”s son had already gone to school when the men entered the home.
As multiple law enforcement units canvassed the area for the suspects, deputies learned more about the incident. Wilson and Troung were reportedly sleeping in bed when they awoke to two unidentified black men in the bedroom and one had a gun to Wilson”s head. A struggle ensued between Wilson and the man with the gun, while Truong struggled with the second suspect. At some point, both suspects converged on Truong and Wilson fled the home.
One of the suspects fired several shots at Wilson from the front porch as he ran away, but he was not hit. Wilson ran to a neighbor”s house, who called 9-1-1 after hearing the shots and seeing Wilson running to her house. Wilson sustained some minor cuts from running through a barbed wire fence.
Truong told deputies that after Wilson fled, the two men forced her into a bathroom and closed the door. She heard the men rummaging through things in the house and then heard her vehicle start up and drive down her driveway. When she came out of the bathroom, she saw one of the men running from the home toward the back of the property.
Truong remained in the home, not knowing where the suspects were, until the call was made into the home and deputies had her step out. It appears her car keys were taken from the home along with some other unidentified property. Deputies located her car with the trunk open at the bottom of her driveway, which is approximately 200 yards long. The car was abandoned at a locked gate.
Tire tracks and other items of evidence were located on a road in the back of the property. It appeared that one of the suspects tried to flee in Truong”s car until coming to the locked gait and then presumably abandoned the car and ran. It is believed the other suspect fled to the back of the property and presumably drove away in the vehicle used to get to the house.
Deputies conducted an extensive search of the area for about five hours, but were unable to locate either suspect.
At about 10:55 a.m., all local schools were informed they could lift the lock downs of their campuses. Crime scene technicians were called in and processed the scene for evidence until about 3 p.m. Much information is pending further investigation of the apparent home invasion, including a motive and whether or not the victims and suspects may have been acquainted.
The suspects, still at-large should be considered armed and dangerous. One is described as a black man, 5 feet 6 inches to 5 feet 10 inches tall with short wavy hair, wearing a black beanie and all black clothing. He is described as having several tattoos on his arms. The second suspect is described only as a black man with braided hair, wearing a black beanie and grey sweatshirt and possibly armed with a .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun.
Anyone with information about the incident or the possible location and identities of the suspects are encouraged to call the Sheriff”s Major Crimes Unit at 262-4200.
