Dan Ball reporting

A string of home invasions over the past week here in the Valley has Metro looking for several suspects. Some of the robberies were quite violent and took placed in gated communities.

There are several steps you can take to protect yourself.

"The guy burst into the bedroom, it was dark but I did see what appeared to be a gun," home invasion victim David Sklansky recalls.

Sklansky was asleep in his bedroom when two men broke into his home near Wigwam and Bermuda shortly after 3 am Thursday morning.

"This is something I have visualized over the years," Sklansky said. "I always knew this was a possibility, this would happen. I actually played it over in my mind of what I would do if it happened. I realized the most important thing was to keep him (home invader) calm."

Last week, three men tried to rob a home near Fort Apache and Patrick but were caught after the home owner fought back. This week, two more home invasions occurred. Monday, armed men tied up a couple and robbed a home near Buffalo and Lake Mead. On Tuesday, another violent robbery occurred when crooks broke into a home near Washington and Tenaya. They got away with cash and jewelry while two women and several children were inside the home.

"During the time he was there, my main focus was to make sure that he didn't think that I was panicking or that I would do something silly," Sklansky explains. "The advice is the same as in a poker game; you try and figure out what the other guy is thinking and then act accordingly. I can imagine if he was doing this same robbery with someone who didn't' behave the way I did it could have turned out terribly."

John Vaccarino with J&L Security agrees with Sklansky. "We want (you) to give them what they want. We want (you) to point them in the direction - if they are looking for cash, give them cash. Life is more important than the stuff."

Vaccarino suggests getting a monitored alarm system and adding motion sensor lights around your home. "The most important thing is to make sure they test the system," Vaccarino adds.

Metro is still searching for the suspects involved in all three of this week's robberies. As for Sklansky, he says things around his house are going to change.

"We did a lot of bad things; we could have done a better job."

Security experts also suggest that when you go on vacation you should put lights inside your home on a timer. Also, have the post office hold your mail and let your neighbors know how long you'll be gone.