Woman who resisted purse snatcher shot outside Hemet business
HEMET, Calif., — Authorities today are continuing to search for a gunman who opened fire on a woman while robbing her of her purse outside a Hemet business late Monday afternoon, Feb. 28.
The robbery and shooting happened at the Certified Smog Test and Repair, located to the front of the DMV in the 1200 block of S. State Street, according to officials.
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City of Hemet police and fire personnel were dispatched to the scene around 4:42 p.m. after receiving reports of a shooting that had just occurred, Hemet Police Lieutenant Eric Dickson has since said of the incident and ongoing investigation.
While responding to the scene, officers learned that a female had been shot by a purse snatcher who had already fled the scene with the victim’s purse and other belongings.
When officials arrived, they found the victim suffering from a gunshot wound to her leg and she was rushed to an area hospital for further treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. She is expected to make a full recovery, according to Dickson.
To protect the victim’s identity, officials have not released her name, age, or any further information about her.
Although officers saturated the area and conducted an extensive search for the gunman, he was not located at the time. He has been described as being a dark-skinned male, about 22-years-old, approximately five-foot-ten, with a ‘skinny’ build. He was last seen wearing a dark-colored ‘hoodie’ sweatshirt and a dark-colored face mask.
Officials investigating the shooting determined the victim was standing outside the smog business when the suspect approached her from behind and attempted to snatch her purse from her.
“A struggle ensued and the suspect brandished a firearm and shot the victim one time in the leg,” Dickson went on to explain. “The suspect then fled the scene on foot with the victim’s purse and ran northbound into the parking lot on the southeast corner of State and Stetson streets.”
Anyone who may have witnessed the robbery and shooting or who has information related to the ongoing investigation is encouraged to contact Hemet Police Sergeant Gabe Gomez at (951) 765-2396 or [email protected].
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Trevor Montgomery, 51, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and operates Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS), which act as stringer-news providers for other mainstream media organizations throughout the two regions they serve.
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.