Authorities said on Friday that they are still looking for one of four suspects in an abduction for ransom conspiracy that gravely harmed a Southern California dispensary worker and a minor.
The incident occurred on June 10, about 10:30 p.m., inside a marijuana business on the 13600 block of Arrow Route in Fontana.
According to a news release from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, three male suspects entered the business with the intention of kidnapping an adult employee, but they also kidnapped the victim’s minor relative.
The child managed to flee the speeding truck but required hospitalization due to significant injuries sustained throughout the encounter.
“The adult victim was taken to a remote area of the San Bernardino National Forest near the Cajon Pass, where they were beaten and pistol-whipped, until a ransom payment was made,” the Sheriff’s Department stated.
According to officials, the unidentified adult victim was hospitalized with critical injuries.
Investigators identified three males as suspects in the kidnapping and assault: 25-year-old Erick Garcia-Hernandez, 22-year-old David Colton, and 23-year-old Agustin Lopez-Garcia, as well as 26-year-old Ashley Lopez-Cedano, who was an accessory.
Garcia-Hernandez, Colton, and Lopez-Cedano have been apprehended and remain in custody. Lopez-Garcia has been issued a felony warrant, and he is believed to have departed the country, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
Investigators believe the suspects, who all live in the Muscoy neighborhood of unincorporated San Bernardino, are behind additional kidnappings for ransom.
