SAN DIEGO (CNS) - Between three and five masked men armed with a gun, baseball bat and golf clubs burst into a Valencia Park home Thursday morning and beat the stepfather of a 19-year-old man they were seeking, pistol-whipping their victim and knocking him unconscious before stealing his wife's car, police said.
No shots were believed to have been fired in the attack, which was reported by a neighbor at 3:36 a.m. in the 5200 block of Cervantes Avenue near Bonita Drive, San Diego police officer Tony Martinez said.
Officers are now looking for the stolen car, described as a black 2000 Lexus GS 300 sedan with California license plates 7NQP954. The car may have had a 9 mm handgun inside the glove compartment.
The men went to the home in search of the victim's 19-year-old stepson, who lives at the home part time and brings a safe with him when he comes and goes, Lt. Eric Hays said. The men repeatedly demanded the victim tell them where the safe was during the robbery.
The victim said he was asleep in the home just before the attack, but went to his front door when he was awaken by a commotion outside, the lieutenant said. That's when the masked men burst through the door looking for the young man, who was not at the house.
The men pistol-whipped the victim and beat him unconscious with the baseball bat and golf clubs, Hays said. It's unclear if they stole anything from the home before fleeing in the stolen Lexus.
The victim was taken to a hospital where robbery detectives interviewed him and learned the details of the assault, Hays said. He was being treated at the hospital for injuries to his head and face.
