More than 300 residents of Mission Beach and surrounding communities packed the Santa Clara Recreation Center Monday, Oct. 16, to discuss the recent robbery and sexual assault on San Fernando Place.
On Sunday, Oct. 15, at approximately 3 a.m., four men armed with two semi-automatic handguns entered a home and robbed the two couples present at the residence before sexually assaulting the two women. All four, ages 18 and 19, are students at the University of San Diego (USD).
The suspects are described as black men between the ages of 18 to 24 wearing hooded sweatshirts.
District 2 Councilman Kevin Faulconer organized the meeting so police could inform residents about the crime and investigation, and allow the public to ask questions.
Assistant Police Chief Bill Maheu started the discussion by reminding everyone to be respectful of victims’ privacy.
“I also want to send a message to the victims that the parasites will be caught,” Maheu said.
Maheu updated the audience on the investigation’s progress, but cautioned that he couldn’t give many details. One person asked if the door to the victims’ home was left open or simply unlocked, but Maheu would not clarify, saying only that the victims could not be blamed for the attack.
“We are free to walk down the street and be in our homes at all times without being bothered,” he said.
The meeting did reveal, however, that the suspects attempted to kidnap the female victims, but released them after seeing a patrol car in the neighborhood. As soon as the suspects left, the victims called 911 at 3:15 a.m. and officers responded within two minutes. After the initial call came in, 41 officers responded, sealed off the Mission Beach peninsula and began a grid search of every area between Ventura Place and the jetty, while a police helicopter searched for the suspects in the sky. Police also monitored all vehicles leaving the area, but the suspects failed to turn up.
SDPD representatives wanted to reassure residents that the department was moving resources to increase the amount of officers on general patrol in Mission Beach, especially during the hours the attack occurred. Gang Suppression will also patrol the area more frequently.
Faulconer then opened the room up for questions. A large percentage of the audience comprised college students from the University of San Diego, University of California, San Diego, and San Diego State University. After discovering that Northern Division only has 13 officers on “third watch” regularly patrolling the communities of Pacific Beach, Mission Beach, La Jolla, University City, Clairemont, Del Mar Heights and Carmel Valley, the audience questioned the priorities, funding problems and staffing issues currently faced by the police department.
City Attorney Mike Aguirre told the crowd he could use gang injunctions to keep gang members out of Mission Beach. Officers also encouraged people to call police any time something seems out of the ordinary.
SDPD Lt. Chris Ellis said the department has made it a priority to find the suspects behind the assault.
“This crime makes us sick to our stomach,” Ellis said. “This crime will be solved. We’re going to find these animals and hold them accountable.”
Anyone with information is asked to call SDPD’s Sex Crime Unit at (858) 531-2210 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.