Irving police are searching for four masked men who tied up an elderly couple in a home invasion early Wednesday morning.[[413837673,R]]
The armed men threw a cinder block into a home in the 1000 block of Fouts Drive at about 3:30 a.m., according to Irving police spokesman James McLellan.
After ransacking the home of Eason and Pat Wright, the men fled, and Pat was able to call 911 after freeing herself.
"He didn't tie 'em tight, just enough so they were loose and then when he put that gag in my mouth, I opened so it wouldn't be tight," said 76-year-old Pat Wright.
Her husband, 82-year-old Eason, was "severely beaten" with a pistol and had to be transported to a nearby hospital, McLellan said.
It's hard to believe that Pat, who struggles with severe arthritis, was able to keep her wits about her as the men invaded her home.
"One of them I thought he was going to rape me," she said. "I really did thought he was going to," Pat said.
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The men mostly spoke Spanish, but made it clear what they were looking for.
"They were nosing around saying 'I want your money. I want your money,'" Pat said.
"I thought I was having a nightmare. It was a nightmare," said Pat.
Eason remains hospitalized in the ICU and is expected to recover.
Police say the home invasion mirrors one in Dallas last week and think there might be a connection. In both home invasions, the suspects carried guns and a stun gun. Officers believe the men are targeting small business owners.
"Definitely there is a concern that they are out, if this is a related group or not, that they're willing to do this to our elderly and citizens. Next time it may be worse," said McLellan.
NBC 5's Ashleigh Barry contributed to this report.
