Columbia man and woman injured in home invasion robbery

A Columbia man was injured after two armed men broke into his family’s home in south Columbia early Tuesday morning, police said.

The victims, a 25-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman, called police at 3:51 a.m. and reported that two men broke into their home and robbed them of money and several items, according to a news release from the Columbia Police Department. The couple told police that they and their two young children were at home when the armed suspects forced their way in. The man suffered a blow to the head and was hospitalized, but he had been released by Tuesday afternoon, Columbia police Sgt. Ken Hammond said.

Police said the perpetrators were about 6 feet tall, were between 18 and 20 years old, and wore dark clothes and blue bandanas over their faces.

Suspect descriptions were similar to a previous incident that took place last Saturday on Timber Creek Drive, in which two women’s purses were stolen from their home, Hammond said.

Hammond confirmed that police were investigating possible links between the robberies.

“Home robberies are not very common in Columbia, so when more than one occurs in a short period of time, we’ll look into any possible connections,” Hammond said.

Anyone with information should call CrimeStoppers, 875-8477.