NEWARK, Del. (AP) — New Castle County police are looking for three people who forced their way into a home near Newark and beat up a man.

Police say two men and a woman broke into a home in the Raintree Village community around midnight on Dec. 16. Police say the trio confronted a woman and hit her 63-year-old husband on the head with a blunt object.

The husband was able to reach a gun and police say he fired several times at the intruders as they escaped with items stolen from the home. Police say evidence at the scene indicates one of the intruders may have been hit.

There has been an increase in home-invasion crimes recently, which police say is a concern because they tend to be more violent than burglaries.

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