ALEXANDRIA, Va. — What may have started as a "so-called prank" has turned into a criminal investigation.

WUSA9 first showed you a disturbing video of three people wearing Halloween masks, trying to break into a home in Alexandria, on Wednesday night.

It happened around 10 p.m. Tuesday. The family asked WUSA9 not to share their exact address, but to instead say it happened near Duke and S Jordan Streets.

"At first I thought it was just a Halloween joke, a little prank," said Shayla, who was visiting the targeted home her mother owns and lives in. "So I said, 'Happy Halloween."

But the trio didn't back off, even after she told them she was on the phone with 911 and police were on the way.

"They kept, like, knocking on the door," she said. "The knocks would get harder and harder."

"It

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