A family in Stevinson was victimized by a group of home invaders Tuesday night.

During the attack a 15-year-old girl was punched in the face and a 6-year-old girl was dragged from her bed by her hair. Their father sustained head injuries when he tried to fight off the attackers, said Merced County Sheriff’s Deputy Tom MacKenzie.

The incident occurred just after 11:30 p.m. Tuesday in the 19000 block of First Avenue in Stevinson.

The home invaders were demanding money from the residents, MacKenzie said.

The victims said three to five masked individuals forced their way into the home by kicking in a back door. At least one of the suspects was armed with a handgun, MacKenzie said.

One of the occupants, a boyfriend of one of the females in the house, heard what was going on and was able to jump out of the window with his cell phone. The suspects came into the room, saw the open window and fired the handgun out of the window. 

The suspects left the residence and got into a vehicle victims believed was waiting for them and took off. As they heard the car drive away, they heard several more shots being fired, but believe the suspects might have been firing into the air since the house was not struck, MacKenzie said.

The only description at this time about the suspects is they were all wearing dark colored clothing and ski masks.

To contact Sabra Stafford, e-mail sstafford@turlockjournal.com or call 634-9141 ext. 2002.