Burglars target pot grow at San Lorenzo home

SAN LORENZO, Calif. - (KTVU) - Authorities are searching for two burglars after they broke into a home overnight.

They escaped, but sheriff's deputies believe they were after either marijuana or the cash connected to it.

Apparently the man who lived in the home was growing 200 marijuana plants.

Alameda County Sheriff deputies say they're pretty confident the burglars were either going after the plants or some of the cash associated with it.

It happened at a home on Via Primero and Paseo Grande in San Lorenzo at around 11 p.m.

The man who lives in the home came home to find two men inside. The burglars had assembled some of his plants and it appeared they were trying to steal them.

There was a struggle between the homeowner and the two men. A neighbor heard the commotion and called the police.

The homeowner apparently grabbed a knife in self-defense. There was some sort of altercation, but the two burglars got away.

They left the scene in a red car. No one has been arrested, even the homeowner.

The homeowner has told investigators he has a medical cannabis card, so at this point it's unclear if this was an illegal pot grow. Deputies told KTVU the amount of pot that was being grown is much more than the amount that's allowed, even with that medical cannabis card.

"We've seen these scenarios play out time and time again. You get people that want to grow marijuana in their homes... and whenever you're in that kind of business there's going to be somebody that wants to steal it from you. Whether it's medical marijuana or legal marijuana or illegal marijuana," said Sgt. J.D. Nelson with Alameda County Sheriff's Department.

Investigators were collecting evidence at the scene Wednesday morning.