2 Boys Home Alone During Robbery

Two boys were alone Sunday night in their home in the Sherman Oaks hills when three men entered the house and robbed it, Los Angeles police reported.

"The boys were shaken up," said police Sgt. Carl Taylor.

Earlier reports on the robbery said the victims were two girls. Police have indicated the victims were actually two boys, ages 13 and 17.

The three men entered the home, in the 4100 block of Knobhill Drive, through an unlocked door at about 10:40 p.m. The boys' parents had gone to Los Angeles International Airport to drop off someone who was leaving town.

According to police, one of the robbers was wielding a handgun. They ordered the boys to give them money, and nearly $1,000 in cash was turned over to the bandits, police said.

"The boys did not offer any resistance; they were not hurt in the robbery," said Detective Glenn O'Shea of the LAPD's Van Nuys Division.

When the boys' parents returned home, they discovered police at the house. "They were gone for about an hour, and it all happened when they were away," O'Shea said.

"People in the hills sometimes think their home is so safe and secure and away from everything that they can leave their doors unlocked. But this kind of thing can happen anywhere, especially if you don't lock your door," O'Shea said.

City News Service contributed to this report.