A 22-year-old Santa Maria man fought back and was able to foil an attempted carjacking Saturday night, according to the Santa Maria Police Department.
The intended victim, whose name was not released, was at Jones Street and College Avenue at about 6:30 p.m. when he agreed to give a man and woman a ride, said police Sgt. Jack Dunn.
The driver took the pair to Railroad Avenue and Atlantic Place, where the man asked him to pull over.
“At that time, the male suspect, who was seated behind the victim, placed the victim in a headlock and put a knife to his throat,” Dunn said. “The male suspect demanded money and ordered the victim to get out of the vehicle.”
However, the driver was able to grab the knife, forcing his assailant to drop it, Dunn said.
The victim continued driving to the area of Railroad and Canal Street, where the man grabbed him again and told him to get out of the vehicle.
When he refused, Dunn said, the woman suspect grabbed the keys out of the ignition, and both suspects fled the area on foot.
The driver sustained a minor cut on his hand wrestling away the knife, Dunn said.
The suspects were described as a Hispanic male, shaved head, thin build, 18-20 years old, and a Hispanic woman, shoulder-length hair, thin build, and also 18-20 years old. Both were wearing gray sweats.
Anyone with further information about this incident is urged to contact the Santa Maria Police Department at 805.928.3781, or Crime Stoppers at 877.800.9100.
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.








