GRPD: 1 sexually assaulted in break-in

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - Grand Rapids police are trying to find the men who broke into a northwest-side house, robbed it and sexually assaulted one of its occupants.

It happened in the 600 block of Veto Street NW, just blocks away from the Grand Valley State University Pew Campus.

The four college students living in the house moved in only a few weeks ago. Sunday night, the students living in the house held a party to kick off the summer. The party cleared out sometime before 4 a.m. and those that remained in the house went to sleep.

Police responded around 5:30 a.m. to the residence after receiving a call that a sexual assault had occurred.

The occupants of the house told police that four or five suspects broke into their house as they slept. The students were struck over the head with a weapon and tied up.

"Well, a couple of the kids got pistol-whipped, so they're not real happy," Scott Ayers, the father of one of the victims, told 24 Hour News 8.

One of the occupants, a young woman, was then sexually assaulted.

The suspects then robbed the house and fled.

Police spent the day interviewing victims, witnesses and neighbors.

"Then they told me what had happened and I was like, 'You're kidding, right next door to me?'" said neighbor John Pietrzyk. "And I was like, 'Gosh, I didn't hear nothing.'"

Police initially said the attack appears to have been random, but Tuesday they said it may not be. Authorities also said some of the stolen items have been recovered.

"At this point of the investigation, there does not appear to any relationship between the occupants of the house and the suspects," GRPD Capt. Jeff Hertel told 24 Hour News 8 on Monday evening. "All the occupants of the house are being cooperative and trying to help us out in identifying the suspects."

But the students' parents aren't taking any chances.

"They're going to stay in school, but we're going to move them some place a little bit safer, hopefully," said Ayers.

The families want justice.

"It's pretty amazing that five guys would come in waving guns in a house with a bunch of teenage guys in it. That's pretty gutsy and hopefully turns out to be pretty stupid.  Hopefully they end up in jail," said Ayers.

Police are still trying to determine why they targeted that particular house.

The suspects are described as black males wearing black hooded sweatshirts and dark clothing.

"They had bandanas over their face. Several had black bandanas over their face," said Hertel. "One had an orange-colored bandana and the other had a white bandana over their face."

One of the suspects was described as 6-foot-2 with a thin build. He was wearing a white bandana and white T-shirt.

Another of the suspects is described as having a shaved head and wearing an orange bandana.

Anyone with information is asked to contact GRPD at 616.456.3604 or Silent Observer at 616.774.2345.