A suspected carjacker has been ordered to stand trial for kidnapping, and assault of a man in Pacific Beach who lost his car at gunpoint after he was pistol whipped.
Deputy District Attorney James Koerber said March 13 that Skyler Jace Battreall, 20, faces a life sentence in state prison if he is convicted of the charges.
Seven witnesses including the victim testified March 11 in the preliminary hearing before San Diego Superior Court Judge Howard Shore. He was ordered to stand trial for carjacking, kidnapping during a carjacking, and assault with a deadly weapon.
The incident occurred on Oct. 14, 2018 around 9 p.m. near the intersection of Grand Avenue and Haines Street. A 21-year-old man said Battreall asked for a ride and got inside.  The suspect then pulled a gun and pistol whipped the victim, knocking out some of his teeth.
The victim drove a short distance and then pulled over, running out of the car in the 1400 block of Grand Avenue. Battreall drove off in the 2007 Hyundai Elantra, but he crashed into a parked car in the 4600 block of Gresham Street.
Battreall ran off, and police officers formed a perimeter to look for him. Officers found him hiding in someone’s backyard.
The judge found that Battreall committed great bodily injury to the victim. Shore reviewed all the photos of the scene including the recovered gun and the vehicle crash. 
A trial date was set for April 30. Court records say Battreall was on probation in Texas from an auto theft and grand theft case filed against him in 2017.
Battreall pleaded not guilty to all three charges, and he remains in jail on $500,000 bail.