Armed Men Wound Samaritan, Flee Home
A Costa Mesa man was shot in the upper right arm Friday morning after he tried to help his neighbors escape an armed robbery, police said.
The three suspects, men ranging in ages from 18 to 20, entered a house at 9 a.m. in the 800 block of West Wilson Street and attempted to rob a woman, her two male cousins and a baby girl. The woman escaped from the house and ran across the street to get help from her neighbor, Jesus Belmudez, 40.
When Belmudez entered the house, two of the men opened fire and shot him. All three of the men fled in a white compact car, police said.
“Although the house was ransacked, it is uncertain if any property was taken,” Costa Mesa Sgt. Allen Huggins said.
Belmudez was hospitalized in stable condition Friday.
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