high security door locks
By Catharine Holland
Channel 3 News
TEMPE, Ariz. — Police are still searching for a suspect in an early morning home invasion in Tempe that was witnessed by online gamers all over the world.
According to Sgt. Steve Carbajal of the Tempe Police Department, two men broke into a home in the area north of Elliot and Kyrene roads shortly after 5 a.m. Lt. Mike Pooley said the female victim was online at the time.
The woman, whose name as not been formally released was playing Dota 2, a sequel to an online game called Defense of the Ancients, when the men broke in. The woman is well-known among Dota 2 players and had her Web camera on as part of the game.
“At that point gamers from around the world were watching the home invasion occur while trying to contact the corresponding law enforcement agency,” he said.
While the gamers who were online with the victim saw what was happening, they did not know where it was happening.
It was a friend of the victim who called police and sent them to the woman’s home.
One of the suspects was still there when officers arrived on the scene, but he fled when they tried to talk to him.
Officers took him into custody after a short foot chase. The second suspect is still on the loose. Police set up a large perimeter and brought in air support for their manhunt.
The suspects are described as Hispanic men. The man who is sill at large has scruffy facial hair and was wearing a gray shirt and black pants. Police believe he might be carrying a handgun.
Officers said there are several apartment complexes in the area where the suspect could be hiding.
Several Dota 2 players posted video of the break-in on YouTube. At least one of the suspects stepped into the Web camera’s field of view two times. He appeared to be carrying a weapon. In another frame, he bends down behind a chair.
Based on the YouTube clips, the suspects were in the woman’s home for nearly 15 minutes before the camera was disconnected.
Although shaken by the incident, the victim was not physically injured.
