Police search for three men in violent home invasion robbery

MAR VISTA, Calif. (FOX 11 / CNS) - Three men using a sledgehammer to smash open the door, duct-taped two men inside an apartment in Mar Vista early this morning and stole one man's car and a bag of property from the residence before fleeing, police said.

The home invasion robbery took place at 3596 S. Centinela Avenue about 2:30 a.m., said Los Angeles police Sgt. Gregory Probst. "The suspects wore masks so we don't know their ethnicity or approximate age yet,'' Probst said. "They were armed with a sledge hammer to break open the door. They also may have been armed with a crowbar and a knife. There was no gun involved.''

Probst said the men duct-taped the two men who were inside, one of them a visitor. One of the men was hit in the face and suffered a facial cut. The other man was not hurt.

"They stole the keys from the visitor and a bag of property from the apartment, which we later found on the property,'' Probst said.

The LAPD is looking for the stolen car, a silver Acura, according to Probst. The license plate number was not immediately available, he said.