Suspects Sought In 2 Home Invasions

Deputies are investigating two home-invasion robberies that occurred in southern Putnam County late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning that detectives believe were committed by the same two men.

About 11:15 p.m. Tuesday, two men dressed in dark clothes and wearing Halloween masks forced their way into a home occupied by two adults and a child on 200 Sunland Drive in Satsuma.

The victims told Channel 4 they were watching a movie with their 3-year-old daughter when two men rushed into their house. They said one of the men was waving a gun.

"I hit the small one with the gun, like, two times. When I hit him the big guy came from behind me and hit me once, and then they stormed out the back door," said one of the victims.

The couple said the men demanded money, attempted to steal a television and took the keys to a car before fleeing in another vehicle.

Just before 2 a.m. two men dressed in black -- one with a small black revolver -- entered a home on Live Oak Drive in San Mateo. The victim said they might have been wearing masks.

The victim told the two men the money was in a bedroom, and then ran out of the house. Deputies said one of the robbers fired a shot as the victim fled, damaging a window.

Investigators said it did not appear that the suspects were able steal anything from inside the residence prior to their fleeing the area.

Deputies, assisted by a K9 officer with the Palatka Police Department, searched but failed to find the robbers.

Anyone with information as to the identity of these two robbers is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 866-277-TIPS (8477) or the Putnam County Sheriff's Office at 386-329-0800.