Man Seeking Sex Carjacked; Vehicle Found At San Pablo Casino

SAN PABLO, CA – A Bay Area man was punched in the head by an armed man and had his car stolen Wednesday night after meeting up with a woman with whom he had arranged a sexual encounter, according to authorities.

The vehicle, a blue, four-door Honda Accord, was located Thursday afternoon, parked and unoccupied, in the lot at San Pablo Lytton Casino, 13255 San Pablo Ave. in San Pablo, and the two suspects are still outstanding, the Santa Rosa Police Department said.

The 32-year-old victim from Healdsburg called 911 Wednesday around 7:30 p.m. after the meet-up went awry, telling police that he used an online forum, "commonly used to facilitate prostitution activity," to arrange the encounter and met the female near a business on Stony Point and Sebastopol roads in Santa Rosa, the department said.

The man said they drove to a nearby residence, agreed to go together to a local motel, and as they prepared to leave the home, another man got into the backseat. As the victim began to drive away, the man in the back began punching the driver in the head and pulled out a black handgun which he pointed at the victim, police said.

"The victim was scared (and) stopped the vehicle at the intersection of Gloria Drive and West Avenue," the agency said. "The victim jumped from the vehicle and fled in fear of his life."

The armed man then got into the driver’s seat and drove off with the car and the woman. "The female stayed in the vehicle and appeared to be an associate of the male suspect," police said, adding that the assault left the victim with lacerations to his head.

The male suspect was described as white, in his mid-30s, 5 feet 11 inches to 6 feet tall with a thin build, dark hair and a goatee. The female was described as white, mid-30s, about 5 feet 7 inches tall with a medium build and a tattoo on her chest.

"The suspects are each wanted for their role in the armed carjacking and assault with a deadly weapon," police said. "We are still attempting to determine the identity of both the male and female suspects involved in the incident."

A reward of up to $2,500 is being offered by the Sonoma County Alliance “Take Back Our Community Program” for information leading to arrests and convictions of the carjacking suspects Anyone with information can call Santa Rosa Police Department Violent Crimes Investigations Team at (707) 543-3590.

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