Investigators released surveillance video Wednesday in hopes of identifying suspects who physically assaulted two men, carjacking one of them, in a Victorville gas station earlier this month.
On Nov. 12, around 4 a.m., a 67-year old man was getting gas at a Chevron gas station in the 13300 block of Highway 395 when two men approached him, according to a news release from the San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner Department.
The two men, dressed in black hoodies, can be seen cornering the man up against his car and speaking to him while he waits for gas to finish filling. As they start moving closer towards him, he grabs the gas pump and tries to scare them back by pointing it at them.
One of the men got into the victim’s car while the other physically assaulted him and forced him out of his car. The pair eventually dragged the victim out of the car, took his vehicle and drove away.
Deputies recovered the victim’s Toyota 4Runner on Luna Road, where the two suspects had left it and ran, officials said. Authorities were unable to find the suspects.
The victim suffered injuries to his face and was transported to a local hospital for treatment, the department said.
During the investigation, detectives learned that another man had been assaulted at the same location, again in the early morning hours, on Nov. 7. The Sheriff’s Department also released surveillance footage of that incident, in which the victim was approached by three men and was physically assaulted.
One of the men got into the victim’s vehicle, which was parked at the gas pumps, and looked inside the vehicle then ran from the scene, along with the two others. The victim of the Nov. 7 assault appeared to have suffered injuries to his head but left the location and did not contact law enforcement to report the incident, deputies said, adding that they hope the victim to come forward.
Investigators believe the same suspects are responsible for both incidents.
Anyone with information about either incident is asked to contact Detective C. Crosswhite at 760-241-2911 or Sheriff’s Dispatch at 760-956-5001. Callers wishing to remain anonymous can call the We-Tip Hotline at 1-800-782-7463 or visit www.wetip.com.