Strange Call Precedes Stafford Home Invasion

Caller said he needed resident to visit police station for questioning

A Stafford household received a phone call from a man claiming to be a police officer the night before a home invasion, police say.

Resident Gary Caldwell was home in his living room Tuesday when two men dressed in black burst through a side door shortly before 7 p.m.

One held a knife, while the other displayed a handgun and demanded money. One man beat Caldwell as he struggled to get hold of the gun. Caldwell then reached for the phone, only to have the would-be robber grab it away and break it.

The altercation ended when a family friend knocked on the front door, and the men fled the scene.

The night before the incident, Caldwell's daughter said they received a call from someone claiming to be Officer Tom Jones. The man said he needed Gary Caldwell to visit the police station for questioning. When he refused, the caller said that if Caldwell didn't comply, he would come to his house. The two suspects are described as white males, between 5'6" and 5'10". They were wearing all black, including ski masks. Police believe the men may have had prior knowledge of the victims' schedules.

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