San Diego County Crime Stoppers and investigators from the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department’s Imperial Beach station are asking for assistance from the public to help identify and locate a group of suspects wanted for a felony battery that occurred in Imperial Beach. On May 27, 2013 between 2:00-3:00 a.m., an 18-year-old Hispanic man, and two of his friends, were socializing and drinking beer with a group of young men that they met at the Imperial Beach pier. Initially, the interaction was friendly but when the victim and his friends decided to go home the group of men became hostile. They started yelling profanities and challenged them to a fight. The victim, and his friends, ran away and got separated. The victim tried hiding in some bushes in the front yard of a residence located near the intersection of Elder Avenue and Second Street in Imperial Beach. The suspects found him and began punching and kicking him until he lost consciousness. The suspects took the victim’s cell phone and wallet before leaving the scene in an unknown vehicle.
The victim was found unconscious at about 9:00 a.m. and was taken to a local hospital where he was treated for his injuries. He suffered an orbital fracture, a badly injured right ear, a dislocated left shoulder and required stitches to his upper lip. He will need to have several surgeries to repair some of the injuries sustained in the attack.
The identity of the suspects is still unknown. They are described as a group of White, Hispanic and Asian males in their early 20’s.
Anyone with information on the identity and/or location of the suspects should call San Diego County Sheriff’s Department’s Imperial Beach station at 619-498-2400 or the Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at (888) 580-8477. Crime Stoppers is offering up to a $1,000 reward to anyone with information that leads to an arrest in this case. Anonymous email and text messages can be sent in via www.sdcrimestoppers.com.
Media inquiries should be directed to:
- Questions regarding the investigation should be directed to Sheriff’s Detective Howard Kluge at (619)498-2419.
- Questions regarding Crime Stoppers should be directed to Officer James Johnson at 619-531-1500 or Deputy Adriana Uribe at 619-531-1547.