Pot Stolen In Violent Home Invasion

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- A father and son were attacked when a trio of robbers carried out a brazen Sacramento home invasion aimed at stealing marijuana, police said.Police said the break-in occurred shortly before 6 a.m. Monday in the 100 block of Spartan Way.Victim George Mitchell, 62, said there was a small air conditioner in a window and the burglars pushed that out and came in.The father suffered a laceration after at least one of the robbers pistol-whipped him, the report said. The son, 29-year-old Phillip Mitchell, is in fair condition at the UC Davis Medical Center after a brutal beating."There was a man right here running that way towards me with a gun. He said, 'Halt right there or I'll shoot you right where you stand at,'" George Mitchell said.At least one of the residents had a medical marijuana card, police said.George Mitchell was bound and gagged.The culprits found one pound of fresh marijuana drying in a closet. It came from a small backyard garden.The robbers also demanded money but left after ransacking the apartment. A TV set and camera were also stolen.Surveillance cameras caught two getaway vehicles -- a Chevrolet Blazer and a two-door sedan.Medical marijuana advocates said they're hearing more about pot robberies because more patients are reporting them."I'm very glad to see that people are more likely to get the law involved because that's the only way to stop it," Ryan Landers from the Compassionate Coalition said.Sacramento police said they are seeing an increasing number of those types of crimes and that even if you're a legitimate medical marijuana patient, it's much safer to keep your plants hidden.Police said two of the robbers were black, and one was white. They are in their 30s and carried handguns. Two of the robbers wore black masks and are heavy-set.