Denis Tierney said the robbers knocked first, and when his housemate answered, they thrust a gun in his face, slammed him to the ground and stormed inside, screaming orders.
"'Where's the money? Tell us where the safes are,'" Tierney said. "They were like, 'Don't look at our faces, just give us the money and we'll be out of here.'"
Police say they tied up nearly everyone, but one student locked himself in his room and dialed 911. The robbers eventually caught on.
"So they kicked his door down, because he wasn't cooperating," Tierney said.
Then, they apparently pistol-whipped him.
That student is being treated at the hospital. However, it was the turning point. The robbers knew police were coming, so they grabbed what they could and raced out of the house.
Tierney says, by his count, police arrived about three minutes later. During the whole ordeal, all he could do was will himself to stay calm.
"Just be safe, just do what they say," Tierney said.
Tierney says police investigated for several hours. They reportedly took away with them one good piece of evidence - a glove one of the robbers was wearing. No arrests have been made.
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STORY BY: Eyewitness News reporter Jaime Roth
WEB PRODUCED BY: Lakisha Bostick