An 18-year-old male driving a 2001 blue Mercedes-Benz C320 was carjacked in the Colinas Del Sol community according to reports from the San Diego Police Department. The incident took place during the early morning hours of Sunday, March 15.
The SDPD said that the driver parked their car in the 4200 block of Winona Avenue when the incident happened. An unidentified suspect approached the car and opened the driver’s door. Then he pulled the man out of his car, said SDPD Officer Robert Heims. The suspect then proceeded to walk the victim away from his car. After he removed the victim from the automobile, the suspect got into the car and drove off, southbound on 4200 Winona Avenue.
The incident was reported to have taken place at 3:20 a.m. The victim called the police and identified the suspect as a Hispanic male in either his 20s or 30s who was wearing all dark clothing. The SDPD continues to investigate and is asking anyone who may have information about the crime to call Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
Carjacking Statistics
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), over a nine-year period from 1993-2002, there were approximately 38,000 victims of carjacking during every one of these years. There were approximately 15 murders each year that also involved a car theft, although the murders may have not been directly related to carjacking.
The most carjacking incidents took place during the first five years of the nine-year span. Men were victimized more often than women, blacks more than whites, and Hispanics more than non-Hispanics. Carjacking affected those with lower incomes. Households that made less than $50,000 per year had higher rates of carjacking than those which made more than $50,000.
Many carjackings are conducted under violent terms. Approximately 74% of carjacking incidents involved the use of a weapon. Firearms were the most used, at 45%, while knives were used in 11% of incidents. However, victims were likely to resist the offender. In two-thirds of the carjacking incidents reported the victims fought back. Some chased the offender while others attacked the offender. There were some victims who tried to capture the offender.
Do You Need a Criminal Defense Attorney in California?
If you are arrested and charged with a carjacking in California, Penal Code 215PC indicates that it is a crime to take a car from another by using force or fear. Carjacking is a felony in the state and comes with stiff penalties of serving up to nine years in state prison. If you had a gun, injured the victim, kidnapped someone, or carjacked to benefit a gang, you may be looking at even more prison time.
It is critical that you obtain representation. The San Diego theft crime defense lawyers at the Law Offices of David M. Boertje have extensive experience providing aggressive defenses for individuals charged with all theft as defined under the California Penal Code.
Call and schedule your free consultation with one of our Carlsbad criminal defense lawyers at the Law Offices of David M. Boertje today. We can be reached at (619) 229-1870 for our San Diego office or (760) 476-0901 for our Carlsbad location.