Stanwood intruders hold teen at gunpoint, pepper spray him



STANWOOD, Wash. -- The search is on for two violent home invaders, who tried to force their way into a Stanwood home. Two quick-thinking teens helped to prevent a bad situation from getting worse.

“I saw the guys with the gun to my brother’s head,” said 15-year old Brooke Desjardins as she walks us through what happened on Thursday as she got ready for school.

She saw her brother Tanner just on the other side of the door with two men trying to barge into their home.  He had walked out to his car to start it and wait for his sister to leave for school. Then, when Tanner was getting into his car, a dark gray colored 4-door car pulled directly behind him in the gravel parking area. The taller suspect approached him and put the gun to his back and told him to give them his money. Tanner said he told the suspects he did not have any money on him. The taller suspect with the handgun grabbed him by his shoulder and pushed him towards the front door and told him to get the money from inside the house.

“I just kept saying no, I’m not going to open the door and my sister saw them and he was telling her to open the door, and I was mouthing 911 to her,” said Tanner Desjardins.

The attempted home invasion happened Thursday morning in Stanwood as Brooke and Tanner got ready to go to school.

“My brother looked horrified, and it made me not want to open the door to see a gun to his head,” said Brooke Desjardins. “I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know how to help him.”

Tanner Desjardins said the two men eventually gave up trying to get inside but not before taking their frustrations on out him.

“Eventually they got scared and thought they saw a neighbor and they pushed me down, and I ducked and they sprayed the back of my head with a whole can of pepper spray,” said Tanner Desjardins.

Tanner says he’s relieved he and his sister are alive. He said keeping them out of the house was key.

“My sister was on the other side of the door, and if they got in my house and got my sister then they would have free reign of the house,” said Tanner Desjardins.

Now they want these men caught, so no one else experiences what they did.

“It makes me paranoid to be home alone; it’s kind of scary,” said Brooke Desjardins.

The suspects are described as two black men.

One is approximately 6’4”,18-20 years old, he had a thin build with a black bandana covering his face. He had a small silver revolver with him.

The second man is described as being 6 feet tall, 18-20 years old, a thin build wearing a red bandana covering his face and armed with pepper spray.

Tanner Desjardins said he also saw a young woman in the driver seat of the car texting during this attack. The getaway driver was white, approximately 18-20 years old with dark hair.  She was wearing dress pants and a dress coat like she was on her way to work. She was driving a dark grey 4 door car.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS. They’re offering a reward up to $1,000.