A brazen robbery caught on video showed three masked men dressed as FBI agents entering a Riverside County home before restraining the occupants and robbing them.
The video went viral and puts a focus on the state’s new anti-mask law for federal agents, which takes effect on Jan. 1 and was adopted in response to the recent federal immigration raids conducted by masked agents.
Ring camera video shared to X showed the three intruders knocking on the door of the home in Jurupa Valley at 9:48 p.m. on Oct. 23, addressing the resident by name. One of the suspects claimed to have a search warrant, and when the resident asked what it was for, the men barged into the house.
One said, “everybody on the ground,” and another asked how many people were in the home.
“It’s my mom and my kid,” the resident replied, his voice shaking. The resident did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Eleven minutes later, sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the home after reports of a home invasion robbery, Sgt. Robert Martinez, a spokesperson for the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, said in a written statement.
When they arrived, deputies heard from victims that several armed suspects had restrained them while searching the property and then left with stolen items. None of the victims were injured, Martinez said. Deputies did not disclose what was taken.
No arrests have been made, and the investigation is ongoing.
The robbery came after months of debate about federal law enforcement officials who conducted immigration raids while concealing their identity with masks. It culminated in Gov. Gavin Newsom signing a law in September barring federal agents from wearing masks in most circumstances.
Supporters of the legislation said the presence of anonymous, masked officers marks a turn toward authoritarianism and erodes trust between law enforcement and citizens.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office did not respond to a question on whether the crime of impersonating an officer is of greater concern with the rise in masked agents.
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