Crime & Safety
Thousand Palms Woman Named In Alleged Beating, Robbery Incident At Hotel
"When deputies arrived, they were met by the victim who was bound by his hands with a laceration to his head."
CHERRY VALLEY, CA – Three Riverside County residents, including a Cherry Valley man who remains at large, allegedly robbed, beat and tied up a man at a Yucca Valley hotel, then crashed a car as they attempted to flee.
Lucas Mountz, 33, of Cherry Valley was arrested on suspicion of robbery, while Erica Hull, 37, of Thousand Palms, was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit a crime. A third suspect, Christopher Garcia, 41, is being sought.
San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies were notified at 3:27 a.m. Saturday of two men carrying a bag while running through the parking lot of the Travelodge Inn and Suites at 54850 Twentynine Palms Highway.
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"When deputies arrived, they were met by the victim who was bound by his hands with a laceration to his head," the sheriff's department said in a news release. "The victim advised deputies he had been robbed and beaten."
The deputies headed out to search the area and soon spotted a suspicious vehicle, the agency reported. When they tried to contact the people inside the vehicle-- the driver allegedly took off speeding, but crashed less than a mile away.
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"The vehicle fled at a high rate of speed and crashed into a fence nearby at Airlane Drive and Katje Way," the sheriff's department said. "Lucas Mountz and Erica Hull were taken into custody trying to flee the vehicle. The third suspect, identified as Christopher Garcia, fled on foot prior to deputies arriving at the crash. Garcia could not be located during an area check."
Sheriff's officials say "... the victim's stolen property was recovered in the vehicle along with evidence linked to the robbery."
Mountz was arrested on suspicion of robbery while Hull was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit a crime, police said.
Anyone with information about his wherebouts was asked to call the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department Morongo Basin Station at (760) 366-4175.
Patch file photo by Renee Schiavone / City News Service contributed to this report
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