Robbers Shoot Man, Injure Another

A man was shot in the buttocks and a second man was pistol-whipped during an attempted robbery Tuesday night in west Ventura, police said.

The pair were standing in an open garage at a house in the 300 block of West Ramona Street when two armed men approached them and demanded money shortly before 7 p.m., said Ventura Police Lt. Bill Bogner.

When the victims failed to hand over any cash, the men attacked them, Bogner said.

Javier Martinez, 24, was shot, and 19-year-old Jorge Avila was beaten, Bogner said. Both men were being treated at Ventura County Medical Center on Tuesday night. Bogner said their injuries were not life-threatening.

The assailants ran off after the incident and had not been found as of 9:30 p.m. Bogner said a car was not used in the crime and the incident does not appear to be gang-related.

“Until we figure out otherwise, it was random in nature,” Bogner said.

One attacker was described as a Latino male, about 21 years old and 5 feet 5 with an average build. He had a close-cropped haircut and a goatee.

The second, also described as a Latino male, was18 or 19 years old, 5 feet 5, slender and with a flat-top haircut.