SOUTH SALT LAKE — A 66-year-old man was duct-taped to his wheelchair while two armed men stole nearly everything in his home, police said Wednesday.
"The two guys were in there for like over an hour, rummaging and ransacking his stuff, and they pretty much cleaned him out," said South Salt Lake police detective Gary Keller.
The incident happened about 1 a.m. Monday at Dwight Hahn's apartment in the 3400 South block of 200 East. Hahn typically keeps his front door open or ajar to cool off his apartment, Keller said. He has lived in the apartment for more than 20 years.
Early Monday, two men wearing hoodies, baseball caps, gloves and armed with handguns entered Hahn's apartment, pistol-whipped him, then taped his hands together. They then taped Hahn, who has only one leg, to his wheelchair, Keller said.
The intruders ordered the man not to look at them and forced him to give them the combination to his safe, Keller said. After cleaning out his apartment of electronic equipment, checks, credit cards and even Hahn's medication, they loaded the items into the victim's Ford Explorer, took his keys and drove off, Keller said.
The lift that helps load Hahn's wheelchair into the van was still down, however, and dragged along the ground as the men tried to get away. The device was actually ripped from the van as the men turned the corner and left the apartment complex. The scraping metal created so much noise that a neighbor went to check on it and discovered Hahn.
He had a large cut on his head but refused to be transported to the hospital, Keller said.
Investigators say it is too soon to say whether Hahn was targeted or if it was a random home invasion.
The Explorer was recovered in West Valley City, but Hahn's property was no longer inside, Keller said.
Within hours of the robbery, three women used the man's credit cards at various locations, Keller said. Detectives were able to pull still photos from surveillance video from those stores. They were believed to be driving a dark, possibly green Toyota Paseo.
Anyone with information on either the two men or three women can call police at 801-840-4000.
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