GUILDERLAND — Standing outside of his home smoking a cigarette on Tuesday night, a local man was forced into his house, bound with duct tape and assaulted, and then robbed, according to Guilderland Police.

Police say they received a call from a man at 10:29 p.m. who said he had just freed himself after being robbed at gunpoint by two men inside of his home at 122 Spyglass Court in Guilderland.
"He got himself free and then called us," said Lieutenant Curtis Cox of the Guilderland Police. "We think he was bound for at least 15 minutes."

The robbers, described as two African-American males, made off with at least one ATM card and a black 2004 BMW X3, Cox said.

Cox released video surveillance images to The Enterprise yesterday taken by the Bank of America at 1450 Western Ave. The images show a young African-American man using the drive-through ATM at the bank about 20 minutes after the robbery occurred.

The bank confirmed that the ATM being used in the images belongs to the victim, Cox said, and the car matches the description of the stolen BMW.

Cox said other items were stolen as well but would not name them because, he said, it could affect the police investigation currently underway.
"They did steal some other items," Cox said, "but we’d rather not say at this time."

The man’s 42,000-square-foot home is assessed at $700,580, according to the town assessor.
Cox described the investigation as "thorough and comprehensive." Police are using physical evidence collected at the scene, video surveillance from a local bank, as well as other evidence, Cox said, in order to work with surrounding police departments to identify and apprehend the robbers.
"We are conducting a full-rounded investigation," said Cox, who added that the Albany Police Department is also working with Guilderland Police on the case.

Police say that the victim was approached by the two men outside of his home and then forced inside. Cox said it is uncertain whether or not the robbers brandished a gun before or after entering the home.
"They definitely displayed a gun," Cox said, but added that the type of gun was not clear; only that it was a "handgun."

Once inside the home, Cox told The Enterprise, the robbers bound the victim with duct tape.
"He did resist," Cox said. "He received some abrasions, lacerations, and bruises during the struggle," which resulted in some bleeding.
"The victim didn’t even know that his car was missing until we asked him," Cox said. "We asked him if he had a car and when he looked in the garage, the car was gone."

The 2004 BMW, which is listed by Kelly Blue Book as being worth between $25,000 and $30,000, was found later that night at the Hannaford Plaza off of Central Avenue in Albany.

The victim told police he did not recognize the two men who robbed him, said Cox, and a neighborhood interview revealed that no other homes in the area were burglarized or robbed.
"It was just the one house. We talked to all of the neighbors and no one else was targeted," Cox said. "We think they got there by the use of another vehicle or vehicles."

Guilderland Police say the victim was home alone at the time.

He was treated on the scene for his injuries by Guilderland Emergency Medical Services workers and the Western Turnpike Rescue Squad, but refused to be transported to an area hospital for further treatment, Cox said.