Court records are revealing disturbing new details about a Sept. 23 home invasion in Venice. According to a probable-cause affidavit, a homeowner heard a noise and received a security alert, then hid in her bathroom with a revolver. Two suspects forced their way into the home and into that bathroom, demanding she open her safes. Deputies say she was zip-tied, tased, and pepper-sprayed during the ordeal.
A family member, Richard Lanigan Jr., came to help after the homeowner reached out. He told investigators a shot was fired toward him as he entered the hallway. The suspects allegedly grabbed the homeowner’s revolver and fled. Investigators later documented forced-entry damage, cut zip ties, a spent Taser cartridge, and a projectile hole in a closet door.
Justin Anthony Mitchell and Brevaun Williams, both 34, were arrested in connection with the case. Williams reportedly told detectives that someone called “Rico” told them the home had cash and gold in safes, suggesting the crime was planned rather than random. Mitchell faces charges including home-invasion robbery with a weapon, kidnapping, armed burglary with battery, and aggravated assault. How safe do you feel in your own home right now, and what would you do differently after reading this?
