SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – A driver was carjacked on a busy Pacific Beach street late Sunday night.
The incident happened just before 11:30 p.m. in the 1000 block of Garnet Avenue, according to San Diego Police.
Witnesses told ABC 10News that a Volkswagen sedan was stopped on Garnet Avenue when a man walked up to the car, opened the driver’s side door, and grabbed the driver.
Bystanders, including some bouncers from nearby clubs, saw what was happening and ran over to help, but the driver was thrown to the ground and the suspected carjacker sped away in the Volkswagen.
One witness told the 10News Breaking News Tracker that the suspected carjacker first approached them to ask for help.
“He was saying he was being followed and needed help. We advised him to go to the restaurant next to us. We walked by plenty of open restaurants, and he refused to. Instead, he just hijacked the car of the people that were walking next to us; they were trying to park,” the witness said.
The stolen car was found a few hours later in La Jolla, but the suspected carjacker was nowhere to be found.
Paramedics checked on the driver, but he was not injured.
Witnesses said they believed the suspected carjacker was under the influence of a controlled substance.
