Two men accused in a home invasion robbery in Palm Springs, in which the homeowner was tied up at knifepoint, were charged Friday with multiple felonies.
Aaron Anthony Allen, 24, of Hemet, and Paul Stephen Keller, 25, of Beaumont, were arrested Wednesday after Palm Springs police and sheriff’s deputies stopped them in the victim’s SUV in western Riverside County.
The men are charged with burglary, carjacking, vehicle theft, receiving stolen property, making criminal threats and false imprisonment.
Keller also faces sentence enhancements for allegedly using a weapon during a felony, indicating he’s the one accused of wielding the knife during the robbery.
Both men are due to be arraigned on the charges Tuesday morning in Indio.
The homeowner reported the robbery to police at 4:14 a.m. The defendants entered the man’s home in the 200 block of East Granvia Valmonte “by unknown means while the victim was sleeping,” police allege.
The homeowner woke to lights on inside the house and then was confronted by the masked suspects. Keller allegedly held a knife to the victim’s throat and tied him up.
Allen and Keller then allegedly raided the home, taking “a large quantity” of the resident’s property, including his 2015 BMW X1. Police were able to track down the SUV and the suspects via a GPS tracking device in the BMW.
Palm Springs police, along with Riverside County sheriff’s deputies tracked the car to a home in the 400 block of El Monte Street in San Jacinto.
Allen and Keller were allegedly seen getting into the car and driving off from the home, after which they were stopped and taken into custody.
[symple_googlemap title=”Palm Springs crime” location=”200 East Granvia Valmonte, Palm Springs, CA” height=”300″ zoom=”13″]
— City News Service