Doors, Windows Battered At 22 Pr. George's Homes

The most frightening thing, Drake said, is that the offenders refused to stop, even after they realized people were home and awake.

"Once I woke up, I heard someone banging on the door like they were trying to get in," he said. "I ran to the door and was holding it while they were trying to bash it in. I hollered for my wife to let the dog out. Once the dog came out and started barking, they ran away.

"I never heard any voices. I never saw anybody," he added.

His wife, Saphronia Drake, was also awakened by the thud and instantly worried about her 18-month-old grandson. "I didn't know if the baby had fallen off the bed or my husband had fallen off the sofa or what," she recalled. "I almost bumped into my daughter in the hall because she had been awakened by the noise, too. We go into the living room, and my husband is kneeling by the door."

After the Drakes reported the incident, several police cars and a helicopter spent more than two hours combing the neighborhoods looking for the vandals. Police were fielding calls from residents in other homes broken into Sunday morning and at one point called officers from other parts of the county to supplement their efforts, authorities said.

Although police said they have no evidence that a battering ram was used, Drake believes it was. "They were hitting it with a force that felt like that," he said.

Fashioned after a medieval weapon, the modern-day battering ram is a metal rod, a few feet long, often used by police and firefighters to break down doors. Several rap music stars, including Kanye West and Chamillionaire, make reference to them in songs now on the charts.

Drake said his insurance company said it would cost $400 to $600 to repair the damage done Sunday morning.

Law enforcement officials said residents should check to make sure their door frames can withstand the pressure of kicking or ramming.

In many cases, doors are constructed of steel, but the wooden frames are vulnerable.