According to Armed Crime Squad Detective Inspector Adam Tilley, five individuals, wearing hoods and masks, broke into a residence on Trentham Drive in Gladstone Park shortly before 1.30am, while a couple was asleep inside.

A 60-year-old man awoke to the disturbance and confronted the group near the kitchen.

The group, who were armed with a hammer, knives and a gun, allegedly placed the firearm in the man’s mouth and made demands for cash.

Police said they also repeatedly asked for another male, who is understood to be the boyfriend of the couple’s daughter.

He does not live at the Gladstone Park home and wasn’t there at the time.

When the 60-year-old was unable to comply with their demands, he was shot, repeatedly stabbed and struck with a hammer multiple times, Tilley said.

The terrifying assault lasted between five and ten minutes, after which the group left the man on the floor and proceeded to a bedroom where his 57-year-old wife was lying in bed.

The group allegedly threatened her with a gun before they fled the scene in a white vehicle.

She was not physically injured.

The man was rushed to the Royal Melbourne Hospital, where he is receiving treatment for serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

The man was shot in the arm and suffered “multiple strikes” to his upper body, lower body and head region, Tilley said.

A family friend told 9News he had been recovering from recent open-heart surgery.

Police say the two victims are innocent and the target of the ambush was instead their daughter’s boyfriend.

Tilley expressed serious concern, stating, “To be awakened by five offenders, especially with them being armed with firearms, knives, and a hammer, is extremely alarming to us, and that’s why we’re eagerly seeking the public’s assistance.”

“If anyone has information, please come forward to either contact their local police station or Crime Stoppers.”

Safety messaging has been conveyed to the man who was named by the offenders during the assault.

Tilley said that man was known to police, but has not been in contact with them since the ordeal.

“We have been making enquiries to identify his current location, we obviously have concerns for his safety.

“We’d obviously like to speak to him in person and convey our concerns to him.”

The offenders remain on the run.