DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A family is living in fear after investigators said a man robbed them and threatened to kill their two young children.
Broward Sheriff’s Office detectives released a sketch of a man accused of barging into the victims’ Deerfield Beach apartment and pointing a gun at an infant and young child on Aug. 31.
The family moved to South Florida from Honduras about two years ago to their apartment near the 500 block of 44th Street. They told 7News that they were scared out of their beds when they heard odd noises coming from outside. That’s when the father of two, Andres Pacoada, opened the front door and the subject burst in around 11:30 p.m.
“As he was opening the door to take a peek, he was struck in the face with a gun,” said BSO spokesperson Gina Carter. “He dragged the father, who was bleeding from his face into the bedroom where his wife and their two very young children were sleeping.”
Detectives said the armed robber threatened the family at gunpoint, demanded cash and at one point, put his gun to the head of a 4-year-old child.
“He saw the crib and saw that there could be kids, so he said, ‘OK, if you don’t give the money, I’ll kill the kids,'” said Pacoada. “He went to the kids, pointed the gun and said, ‘I’ll kill them, watch, I’ll kill them.'”
Mother Maheli Lopez told 7News through a translator that the whole situation was very terrifying.
“I feel super traumatized. I’ve never been through something like this,” the mother said. “He said he was going to kill the two kids, he was going to kill the two kids.”
According to the mother, they had very little money in the wallet, which they handed over.
“I told my husband to give him the purse, but there was only $20,” Lopez said, “so he said if we didn’t give him more money, he was going to kill the kids and he was going to kill us.”
The robber also took an iPhone before fleeing.
Lopez said she’s lost her sense of security. “I think he’s gonna come back and cause us harm,” Lopez said. “We’re Christians, we don’t mess with anyone. I think he wanted to rob us, I’ve never seen the man before. I’m scared.”
“We’re really scared. Every time I come back, I fear they’re waiting for me,” added Pacoada. “It has traumatized me very much.”
The family is OK.
If you have any information on this armed robbery, call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $3,000 reward.
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