CHP seeks info after I-15 “bumper-tap” in Temecula leads to Murrieta woman’s carjacking
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article reported that a gun was used during this carjacking; but it has since been confirmed by CHP that the suspect used a knife during the commission of this crime.
-TM
TEMECULA, Calif., — Authorities today are continuing to search for a man who allegedly carjacked a woman at knifepoint after using a vehicle to intentionally bump the back end of the victim’s Mercedes while traveling on Interstate 15 in Temecula Tuesday afternoon, Feb. 3.
After using a knife to carjack the woman’s vehicle, the suspect reportedly left his own vehicle – and the shaken victim – behind at the scene, according to California Highway Patrol.
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CHP was dispatched to the area of I-15 near Temecula Parkway/Highway 79 around 4:40 p.m. after the victim called 911 and reported the carjacking, CHP Officer Mike Lassig has since said of the incident and ongoing hunt for the suspected carjacker.
According to Lassig, the victim, identified only as a 37-year-old Murrieta woman, was driving her 2020 Mercedes-Benz when she felt a tap on her rear bumper from a 2004 Toyota Matrix traveling directly behind her.
After pulling onto the inner shoulder of the highway next to the center divider, the driver of the Toyota approached her with a knife in hand and forced her out of her Mercedes.
He then got behind the wheel and sped away, leaving his Toyota and victim on the side of the highway, according to Lassig; who said the victim was not injured during the highway-side carjacking.
Despite searching the area, officers were not able to locate the victim’s carjacked vehicle.
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The suspect has been described as a man in his early 20s, with dark hair and a beard. He was further described as standing approximately 5-feet-7 inches tall and weighing about 170 pounds.
Officers are hopeful that another motorist passing through the area at the same time may have captured dash-cam footage of the carjacking or suspect and have asked that anyone with further information to contact CHP’s Temecula office at (951) 506-2000. Callers can remain anonymous.
Contact the writer: [email protected]
Trevor Montgomery, 50, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).
Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.
Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)
During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.