An Ottawa man is sharing his story after he woke from an afternoon nap to a terrifying sight: three strange men, one of them armed, demanding cash.
The home invasion took place last Thursday, when 70-year-old George Nahas decided to take a nap after doing some work in his garden.
He told CTV Ottawa that he suddenly woke up to the sight of three strangers.
"I hear some noise, so I look up and there are three people standing on top of my head, one with a gun and a bandana on his face," he said.
Nahas said at first he thought it was joke, but when the men started screaming for money he knew it was all too real.
"At this point, I want to get away from them somehow, so I'm just walking in the direction of the kitchen," he said.
But the men pushed him to the ground, causing his eyeglasses to cut his face. The shoving continued as the intruders pushed Nahas into the living room area.
At that point, Nahas had an idea. He pleaded with them to take it easy because he has a heart condition and could have a heart attack.
One of the men then went upstairs, another went to the basement, and the man with the gun stayed with Nahas and reached for some duct tape. It was at this point that Nahas made a run for his security alarm pad.
"He was following me… at this point, I told him I just pressed the alarm pad and the police are on the way," he said.
The three men took off, and a witness told police they saw four young men run into a car that was parked nearby on the nearby street, Bartlett Private.
Staff-Sgt. Mike Haarbosch, of the Ottawa police, said the home invasion took place at about 3:45 p.m., which is not something police see often.
"It’s unclear and will form part of our investigation whether this was something random or whether he was, for some reason, targeted," he said.
Nahas can’t understand why the invaders were in his house, as he had no money on him and nothing was taken from his home.
He does admit that he accidentally left his garage door open just before he took the nap -- something he says he'll never do again.
"You can never be careful enough about securing (the) place you live," he said. "Keep your doors locked at all times and don’t open them to people you don’t know."
Haarbosch said there have been 21 home invasions in Ottawa so far this year, compared to 38 in total last year. Police say, in most home invasions, the victims know their attackers.
Police describe the suspects in this case as between the ages of 18 to 25, black or having dark complexions. One of the suspects is described as having a small afro hair style and a chubby build. The vehicle they were reported fleeing in is described as grey or silver in colour.
Anyone with any information is asked to call Ottawa Police's Robbery Unit at 613-236-1222 ext. 5116. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Joanne Schnurr
