Monterey County deputies are searching for a man suspected of beating another man with a metal pipe, shooting him with a BB gun and trying to drown him in the Pajaro River. The attack happened Monday evening along the river levee near Gonda Street in Pajaro, and the suspect remains unidentified. Authorities have released a physical description and are asking for the public's help.
The alleged assault occurred around 5:30 p.m. Monday, per the sheriff's office, as reported by CBS News. A preliminary investigation determined the victim was assaulted by the suspect in the riverbed. First responders took the victim to a hospital for treatment.
According to KSBW, the victim was struck in the head and face multiple times with a metal pipe, shot with a BB gun and pushed into the river in an attempt to drown him. The extent of his injuries was not disclosed.
Who Deputies Are Looking For
Authorities described the suspect as a Hispanic man between 30 and 35 years old, about 5 feet 3 inches to 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighing approximately 130 pounds. He was described as having short, dark hair, possibly in a crew cut, and was wearing a green shirt and jeans.
The suspect was also reportedly soaking wet when he left the scene. That detail could help anyone who saw a wet man in a green shirt and jeans near the levee or nearby streets on Monday evening.
How to Help Investigators
Anyone with information about the suspect's identity is asked to call the Monterey County Sheriff's Office at 831-755-5111. Deputies urged anyone who may have seen him not to approach and to call 911 if they observe an immediate threat.
The suspect's name has not been released, and it is not clear whether an arrest or formal charges have followed. The victim's identity has also not been made public.
A Levee With a Grim Recent History
This stretch of the Pajaro River levee has drawn investigators before. In April 2025, authorities identified a man found buried near the levee as 36-year-old Jesus Alfonso Duarte Figueroa of Watsonville, the Mercury News reported.
Duarte Figueroa was located on April 10, 2025, buried west of a bridge connecting Pajaro and Watsonville. A post-mortem forensic examination led detectives to investigate the death as a homicide. Nothing in the available reporting links that case to Monday's attack.
