A man was zip-tied at gunpoint and set on fire by at least three people who stole his vehicle in Northern California, according to the Sutter County Sheriff’s Office.
The man called law enforcement around 10:55 p.m. on Wednesday night, telling deputies that his vehicle had been stolen in an area southwest of Yuba City, about 42 miles north of Sacramento, sheriff’s officials said.
Responding deputies found that the man had been assaulted and burned, and emergency personnel took him to a hospital, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office.
The man told deputies that he was driving in the area when he was flagged down by a woman standing near a black SUV on the side of the road, KTLA sister station KTXL reports.
After stopping to help, two men stepped out of the SUV. One of the men had what looked like a firearm and the other had a knife, the victim told deputies.
The two men then proceeded to zip-tie the victim’s legs, douse him in gasoline and set him on fire before taking his wallet and vehicle, sheriff’s officials said. The victim said he was able to extinguish the flames by rolling on the ground.
His vehicle was found several miles away with a replica firearm nearby, according to officials.
The suspects were still at large as of Friday. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Sutter County Sheriff’s Office at 530-822-2310.