Two Santa Cruz men who had just finished recreational shooting at Markley’s Indoor Range and Gun Shop in Watsonville were robbed at gunpoint by a masked man Sunday afternoon, police reported.
One of the men, a 38-year-old, was shot in the leg when he tried to flee the holdup. Police said his injury was not life-threatening.
The broad daylight armed robbery occurred around 2:11 p.m. on Blanca Lane near Vic Rugh Lane, off Freedom Boulevard. The men, a 46-year-old and his son-in-law, were locking their gun in the truck of their car when the robber approached and pointed a handgun at them, according to police.
The robber, who covered his face with a bandanna, demanded their weapon. The father grabbed the robber's gun and struggled with him while his son-in-law ran but the gunman broke free and chased the younger man. He fired several shots at the son-in-law, striking him once in the leg, police said.
The younger man's wound was not life threatening but he was flown to a Bay Area trauma center due to the severity of the wound, police said.
After the shooting, the gunman jumped into a waiting black or dark green Acura, which drove away on Gardener Avenue toward Freedom. The car was likely a 1988-92, with poor body condition and a back window with tint that was bubbling. The driver was about 28 to 32 years old; the gunman was described as 5 feet, 10 inches tall and 160 pounds wearing a hat and a black and white bandanna, according to police.
Detectives ask that anyone with information about the robbery and shooting call the Crime Tip line at 728-3544 or the Investigation Bureau at 768-3352.
