It has been classified as a home invasion, and it involved individual of Hispanic or Latino descent, but authorities said Wednesday they don’t believe intruders who forced their way into an Idlewood Lane home Tuesday night are connected to earlier and more violent incidents in the county.

“There’s nothing that indicates a link between this home invasion and the others,” Sampson County Sheriff’s Cpl. Marcus Smith said. “We are leaving our options open as we investigate, but we don’t believe this one and the others are related.”

The latest home invasion occurred Tuesday afternoon, Dec. 18, reports show, when four suspects broken into a home while three individuals were at the residence.

The suspects, described only as three Hispanic males and one African American male, were carrying a handgun and a knife and they tied the three victims up after entering the home. One of those victims, Smith said, was slightly injured.

While the victims were bound, the suspects, reports show, went through the home and eventually left with myriad items in their possession.

Among the items reported stolen were an iPhone valued at $100, a computer valued at $350, three gold chains valued at $2,400, five pair of gold earrings valued at $500; cash, a Playstation gaming system valued at $50; an iPod valued at $700 and another iPhone valued at $140.

Smith said officers had very few leads to go on at this time.

Anyone with information about the incident or the suspects is asked to call the Sampson County Sheriff’s Department at 910-592-4141 or their tip line at 564-5261.

This is the latest in several home invasions reported in the county over the past month. In one of those incidents one man was killed and others injured when suspects plowed into their home, wielding guns. A week later, a 4-year-old boy was critically injured when suspects invaded the home of his parents and shot through the bedroom door where he, his mom and his father were barricaded. No arrests have been made in those cases, and authorities are still searching for those responsible.