Authorities Wednesday asked for help identifying and locating the perpetrator of a strong-arm robbery last month in Oceanside.
The incident happened Jan. 23 at 6:40 p.m. in the east parking lot of the Best Western hotel in the 1600 block of Oceanside Boulevard, according to Oceanside Police detectives and San Diego County Crime Stoppers officials.
The robbery suspect approached the victim, who was holding a satchel in one hand and an envelope in the other hand as he was getting out of his car, Detective Kathleen Vincent said.
The suspect told the victim that there was something wrong with the vehicle, then pushed the victim back into the vehicle, grabbed the envelope containing $5,000 cash and got into a white SUV being driven by another person and fled the scene, according to Vincent.
The suspect was described as a Hispanic man of around 40, 5 feet 6, 160 pounds, unshaven, wearing a blue hooded sweatshirt and dark pants. The suspect got into the front passenger seat. There is no description available of the driver of that SUV.
Anyone with information on the case was asked to call the Oceanside Police Department’s Crimes of Violence Unit at (760) 435-4572 or the Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at (888) 580-8477. Crime Stoppers is offering up to a $1,000 reward to anyone with information that leads to an arrest in this case.
—City News Service