Skateboarder beaten & shot by suspects during kidnapping

A 26-year-old man was attacked by a group of suspects while riding his skateboard early Monday morning in Colton. Sheriff’s deputies with the Cabazon station said the man was blindfolded and forced into the backseat of a vehicle while the suspects continuously assaulted him.

Deputies said the victim was riding his skateboard in the 1000 block of N. Colton Avenue at about 6 a.m. when the suspects attacked him near the intersection of N. Fairview Ave.

The man was beaten with an unknown object while his attackers drove him to an abandoned residence in the 900 block of Roberts Road in Calimesa, according to the sheriff’s release.

The man was able to free himself from his captors and ran for a short distance before they caught up with him again. Deputies said one of the suspects then pulled out a gun and shot the man.

The bullet traveled through the victim’s hand and became embedded in his head. The suspects then fled the scene in an unknown vehicle.

The victim called police to report the shooting shortly after 12 p.m. He was taken to the hospital with non life-threatening wounds.

The Colton Police Department is assisting with the ongoing investigation.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Investigator Pierson with the Cabazon Sheriff’s Station at (951) 922-7100 or the Riverside County Sheriff’s Dispatch Center at 1-800-950-2444.