Two men sought in home-invasion robbery in Snohomish County

Home-invasion robberies are relatively rare, despite two within days of each other in Snohomish County, police say.

Snohomish County deputies are looking for two men who entered a Lynnwood man's home Tuesday morning, tied up the 29-year-old resident, subdued him with a Taser and demanded access to a safe that didn't exist. The resident fought off the two men, believed to be in their 30s, and they fled, taking his red 1990 Toyota Celica.

Tuesday's home invasion is unrelated to one last Thursday east of Snohomish in which a woman was robbed, said Rebecca Hover, Snohomish County sheriff's spokeswoman.

On Monday, Tacoma Police arrested a 40-year-old Arlington man in connection with the crime during a routine traffic stop. The man had a duffel bag containing items, including a credit card, belonging to the victim, Hover said. The man is being held on an outstanding warrant in an unrelated case.

In the meantime, a woman called Snohomish County police and gave them information about Thursday's case, including the name of the second suspect, a 31-year-old man who deputies later arrested near Marysville in a traffic stop, Hover said. She refused to say what the informant's relationship was to the suspects.

"In less that 24 hours they were both arrested," Hover said.

In Thursday's robbery, the victim answered the door at her home in the 9000 block of 163rd Avenue Southeast near Snohomish, and two men pushed their way inside, tied her with zip-ties and locked her in the bathroom while they looted her house. They took weapons, a wedding ring and the woman's 2008 Toyota truck.

"We believe they cased the neighborhood the week before and decided her house would have valuables," Hover said. She said, as far as deputies know, the victims in both cases did not know their attackers.

Generally, home-invasion robberies are more common among people who are connected to the victims, said Sean Whitcomb, Seattle police spokesman. Small-time drug dealers commonly are targets, he said.

Seattle police investigated another home-invasion robbery in the Wallingford neighborhood in October when a woman was raped at knife point in her home while her husband left to run an errand.

Sankarandi Skanda, who also goes by the name Franklin David Antill, was arrested shortly after the crime when he was recognized by a security guard at a Wal-Mart store. Skanda is now being held on $1 million bail in King County Jail.

Nancy Bartley: 206-464-8522 or nbartley@seattletimes.com