A man was robbed of his electric bicycle in Hesperia on Wednesday after a suspect pulled up in a U-Haul, pointed a pistol at him, and fired a shot past him when he refused to hand it over. The victim was not struck by the gunfire and stepped aside out of fear for his life, allowing the suspect to take off with the e-bike.
An armed robbery investigation is underway following the incident, according to VVNG. The robbery was reported Wednesday at approximately 5:09 p.m. near C Avenue and Mojave Street, where the adult male victim was confronted after the unknown suspect arrived in a U-Haul vehicle and approached his electric bicycle.
The outlet reports that the suspect exited the U-Haul and told the victim he was going to take the e-bike. When the victim refused, the suspect pointed a pistol at him and fired one shot past him before the victim stepped aside and allowed the suspect to take the bike, per the same account.
Victim Unharmed as Suspect Flees in U-Haul
The victim was not struck by the gunfire, according to vvdailypress.com. The suspect was described only as an adult male wearing a ball cap, T-shirt and jeans, and the investigation remains ongoing, with no arrest, suspect name or booking information available as of Thursday.
Investigators have not released the e-bike's make, model or value, nor have they identified the U-Haul's license plate or rental details. It is not known whether the suspect has since been located.
Second Hesperia Two-Wheeler Robbery in Weeks
The e-bike theft follows another recent Hesperia robbery involving a two-wheeled vehicle. On September 5, a man riding a Yamaha dirt bike was intentionally knocked to the ground with a pickup truck, assaulted until he lost consciousness, and robbed of the bike near Main Street and Hesperia Road, according to a separate report from vvng.com. Three unknown male suspects allegedly used a green 1990s-model Ford Ranger to knock the victim down before striking him and taking the dirt bike.
In that case, the Hesperia Sheriff's Station asked anyone with information to call 760-947-1500, the same number now being used for tips in the e-bike case. The Hesperia Police Department is asking anyone with information about Wednesday's armed robbery to contact them at (760) 947-1500.
