Rutland City Police are searching for at least four assailants who broke into an apartment and “pistol whipped” the occupants.

Shortly after 4 p.m. Saturday, Rutland City Police received a 911 call stating two men were fighting near 110 Maple St. Upon arrival, police said they interviewed two men and a woman who said at least four, and possibly five, people kicked in the back door to the apartment and used the threat of pepper spray to gain access to the apartment.

One of the assailants found the female resident in her bedroom and threatened her with what she described as a silver pistol, and when one of the male residents attempted to protect her, the assailants attacked him, according to police. The assailants demanded drugs and money before fleeing the apartment to an unknown location, police said.

Police said one of the male victims sustained serious injuries and was taken by ambulance to Rutland Regional Medical Center. The other male victim declined to be taken by ambulance and was driven to RRMC by a private party.

“I would characterize it as an anomaly,” Rutland City Police Sgt. John Sly said of the incident. “We don’t have many home invasions and it’s uncommon to have roving groups of people like this breaking into residences.”

It is not known what, if anything, was taken, but the victims were able to identify two of the assailants as people they knew personally, police said.

The assailants remained at large Sunday night.

josh.ogorman

@rutlandherald.com