One person is in custody, and others remain at large after a home invasion in Mt. Brydges, Ont. west of London. Around 3:55 a.m., officers from the Middlesex County OPP, and officers from Strathroy-Caradoc Police Service (SCPS) responded to reports of a break and enter involving possibly armed individuals in the area of Edinburgh Road, Adelaide Road, Parkhouse Drive and Ferne Drive. “We had a police officer that was on scene within one minute,” said Staff Sgt. Jason Cartwright of the SCPS. “The officer, when she arrived, actually was confronted by one of the suspects who was exiting the residence (on Parkhouse Drive) at that time. She got into a short-foot pursuit with the suspect, at which time the suspect did get away. She returned to the residence and called for more assistance and continued the investigation.” While the person on foot did get away, an officer who was in the area was able to locate what was believed to be a suspect vehicle. “He attempted to stop that vehicle, but the vehicle did not stop for police,” said Cartwright. “A short time later, police used a tire deflation device and was able to stop that vehicle. The suspect that was driving that vehicle was later apprehended with the assistance of the OPP, ERT (Emergency Response Team) and K9 and was taken into our custody and is with us now.” Police say they don’t have much information on the two outstanding suspects other than they are still searching for two black males between the age of 20 and 30 who were wearing dark clothing. Hours after the home invasion, police tape surrounded a home on Parkhouse Drive, where a couple was home at the time of the break in. A contractor was rebuilding the front door which was kicked in and SCPS officers along with K9 were searching the area near the residence. CTV News spoke with a couple of neighbours along Parkhouse Drive who wished to remain anonymous. They said the incident is “very unnerving” and one even went as far as to track down OPP officers and ask them to come double-check the area around her home and under her porch. Another neighbour told CTV News he plans to upgrade from a doorbell camera to a full security system. “This is unnerving for sure,” said Cartwright. “This is a a serious incident that occurred. There will be police presence in Mt Brydges today in the area. We are potentially looking for one or more suspects still. If there’s anything suspicious in the area, call 911 or our emergency line and we will certainly have somebody come out and see them.” Police say despite early reports, there is no evidence that the suspects had a firearm.
