A grandmother and her 3-year-old granddaughter were victims of a home invasion late Sunday night when the door to their residence was kicked in by several masked men.

According to reports from the Covington Police Department, the woman was babysitting her granddaughter at a home on Pine Needle Drive in Green Acres at the time of the burglary. The two were watching television when the grandmother reportedly heard knocking at the side door. She called out, asking who was there, but according to reports, she did not receive an answer so she didn’t open the door.

The polite knocking at the side door stopped and moved to the front door, allegedly becoming more violent and ringing the doorbell several times as well. The fast-thinking grandma reportedly heard the men attempting to enter the house and pushed a sofa in front of the door — unfortunately the masked men were able to move the furniture and kick their way into the home.

Reports indicate the woman told officers that four black males entered the home — two wearing masks and carrying guns — and one of them ran up to her and pointed a gun in her face and instructed her to close her eyes and not move.

The woman allegedly told the officers that before closing her eyes she saw two other men run toward the back of the home, while two stayed in the living room where she was, pointed a gun not only at her but at her granddaughter as well. She could reportedly hear the men ransacking the home and tearing down doors.

According to reports, after a few moments the two men tearing through the back rooms came into the living room area and all four men left the residence, allegedly running into the woods toward Greenway Cove and Green Acres Lane. The grandmother grabbed the girl and ran across the street to a neighbor’s home to call the authorities.

Once officers arrived they made sure the house was clear and then began to check for a possible motive to the invasion since nothing had been taken, even though the house contained a gaming system, a laptop computer and a flat screen television.

Officers did reportedly locate a small amount of marijuana on a shelf in the closet of a bedroom and on the floor below the shelf as well, leading them to believe the incident was possibly drug-related, something that detectives are still investigating.

Both the grandmother and the child were checked by EMS and did not need to be treated further.

Anyone with information about this home invasion is asked to contact the CPD at (770) 786-7605 or online at www.covingtonpolice.com. All tips can remain anonymous.