Police are investigating a home invasion in Barataria in which a woman was beaten and robbed of cash and valuables early Wednesday morning.

It happened at around 3:45 a.m. when the 58-year-old homeowner was asleep in her Eleventh Street home. She told investigators she was awakened by noises and saw a man standing over her. The intruder, who was armed with an object resembling a firearm, struck her several times about the face and head.

Three other men then entered the room and ransacked the house. The woman raised an alarm, and the assailants escaped through a door on the southern side of the home.