Victim Held At Gunpoint During Attempted Robbery In Watsonville

WATSONVILLE, CA — Two suspects are at large following a shooting and attempted armed robbery late Monday night in Watsonville, police said Tuesday. Officers were sent at 11:12 p.m. to the 700 block of East Lake Avenue after someone called to tell police that someone had a gun to someone's head.

Police said a caller told them a white truck was seen leaving the area. When officers arrived they located the truck and stopped the driver, who told police that he had been held at gunpoint. The victim told police that two suspects tried to rob him as he was in his truck.

In the course of the robbery, the victim told the suspects he did not have any money and then he drove away as soon as he could. Police said one suspect fired a semiautomatic handgun toward him, but he was able to escape injury.

The suspects were last seen running south on Manor Avenue. Officers found a shell casing in the area of the shooting but did not find the suspects, according to police. Police described the suspects as Hispanic men between 20 and 30 years old.

One suspect was described as 5 feet 11 inches tall, 200 pounds, and was last seen wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and a red bandana over his face. Police said he was armed with a black semiautomatic handgun. The other suspect was described as 5 feet 10 inches tall, 190 pounds and was last see wearing a black sweatshirt.

Anyone with more information about the shooting and attempted robbery is asked to call the Police Department's investigative division at (831) 768-3350 or the crime tip line at (831) 768-3544.

By Bay City News

Photo courtesy Renee Schiavone/ Patch