A Claremont man sustained serious head injuries after he returned to his Village area home Tuesday morning and confronted burglars inside. The family is confident he will make a full recovery. Three men have been arrested. 

Vince Gottuso, 61, a well-known Broker/Owner of Century 21 Prestige Properties, returned to his home on West Tenth Street after deciding to work from home that day.

Police estimated the time was between 8:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. A neighbor told police 2 men matching the suspect's descriptions were walking in the area towards the victim's house around 8:30 a.m.

Once inside, the burglars attacked Mr. Gottuso, striking him repeatedly in the head with a gun owned by the family, said Claremont Police Lieutenant Shelly Vander Veen. Mr. Gottuso fell to the floor, while the burglars continued to attack him, kicking him around the face and head.

"From what we were told by the police, they had every intention of killing him," said Robin Gottuso, Vince's sister-in-law. "By the grace of God, he's still alive."

Around 11:45 a.m., Mr. Gottuso's wife returned to the house. She found it ransacked and noticed a handgun lying on the floor. She did not immediately find her husband.

After going outside, she dialed 911. When police arrived, they entered the home and found Mr. Gottuso lying on a couch. He was unconscious and had lost a lot of blood.

Based on police interviews, Mr. Gottuso's last memory was laying on the floor. It is unclear how he ended up on the couch.

Due to the head trauma and loss of blood, Mr. Gottuso was airlifted to USC Medical Center in Los Angeles. A helicopter picked him up from Cahuilla Park shortly after noon. 

Mr. Gottuso's family has reported that he is in stable condition in the Intensive Care Unit. By Thursday, Mr. Gottuso was doing better, said Robin Gottuso. "He is aware of people and what happened but is sleeping a lot which is normal for a head injury," she said. "Most of the injuries were to the head. There were no broken bones." 

The following day, Mr. Gottuso still had some swelling in the brain, said Mario Gottuso, Vince's brother. He is expected to remain in ICU for another week before coming home. "Once home, he will have a long recovery," Mario Gottuso said. 

The family was able to inform police about the property stolen during the burglary, including jewelry, a handgun, an Xbox and other miscellaneous items.

Over the next 2 days after the incident, the Claremont Police Department dedicated its entire detective unit to follow up on the case. Detectives interviewed witnesses, conducted surveillance activity, served 3 search warrants and followed up on leads. 

They worked together with the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department officials on the case, who helped collect forensics evidence at the crime scene.

On Wednesday, detectives got a break in the case; following up on a tip that someone was trying to sell some of the stolen property. Later that evening, Kenyata Harris, 32, of Pomona was arrested on charges of possession of stolen property. Mr. Harris was allegedly trying to sell the stolen goods on behalf of the burglars.

After further investigation, 2 more arrests were made. The next morning, Robert Jones, 20 and a 16-year-old juvenile were arrested at their Pomona home on charges of residential robbery, burglary, assault with a deadly weapon and attempted murder.

The alleged burglars were staying at the Claremont Suites hotel at 475 E. Foothill Blvd. in Pomona at the time. Based on interviews, police believe the suspects walked from the hotel to the home to commit the burglary.

Most of the stolen property has already been recovered.

Mr. Jones is being held in the Claremont Police Department jail in lieu of $1 million bail. His arraignment hearing is scheduled for Monday in a Pomona Court. The juvenile was transported to juvenile hall. His hearing has not yet been scheduled.

The Gottuso family expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support from the community and the quick and efficient work by the Claremont Police Department to get the perpetrators arrested.

"We are so thankful for all the support from our friends, the community, our church family and the police," said Robin Gottuso. "We are so grateful to the Claremont Police Department. They did a remarkable job.” 

— Tony Krickl