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Dog Saves Family In Home Invasion That May Be Case Of Mistaken Identity

BRENTWOOD (KDKA) -- Police are investigating a home invasion that may be the case of mistaken identity.

According to investigators, two men pushed their way into a home in Brentwood, but they may have targeted the wrong house.

It all started with a knock on the door of Matt Artman's Brentwood home sometime after midnight Friday.

"Two knocks at the front door, and then the doorbell rang," said Artman. "I thought it was somebody that needed help, went to the door and as soon as we opened it, they just pushed right through, pummeling me."

Two men with guns came to the Garden Street home wearing masks and started beating Artman. Then, his father got in the middle of it, biting one of the suspects.

"I had him by his shirt, by his coat and was going to smack him and he pulled a gun out and he told me to turn around and get in the house," Artman's father said. "I said I'm not going in the house. Once I get in there, I'm done."

That's when the family dog came to the rescue.

KDKA's Marty Griffin: "Your dog may have saved your life. What happened?"

Artman's Father: "I think he did. As I was being pummeled, the next thing you know, my dog comes running down the stairs and that's when they took off."

Police say the dog charged at the suspects and may have saved both of the Artmans.

"The dog did make a difference," said Brentwood Police Chief Bob Butelli. "It came down from the upper floors and attacked one of the individuals inside the home and it caused both of them to flee the residence."

All of it begs the question, why were the suspects there?

Sources confirm that they were most likely headed to a drug house in the neighborhood and went to the wrong house.

Griffin: "The theory is that they were looking for a drug house and they came to the wrong house. And there's a house, without naming it, in the near vicinity where there's suspected drug activity."

"Oh yeah, sure, everybody knows that," said Artman's father. "Even the police know, they were talking to me about it last night."

RELATED LINKS:
More Brentwood News
More Reports by Marty Griffin

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