POLICE CHIME IN ON ATTACKS

Police say they’re working hard to find whoever has been assaulting and robbing women in southwest Bakersfield. Sgt. Gary Carruesco confirms three assaults and robberies over the past couple of weeks when a black Mercedes bumps the victim’s car and that leads to an attack. It’s uncertain if a third incident is linked but Carruesco would not call it a crime spree, saying assaults and robberies are unfortunately common and can result in victims being injured. In one case, a woman had minor to moderate facial injuries that got worse after the attack, but he says that victim is now recovering. Police believe that social media chatter is turning what should be a concern into a panic with some believing there are more attacks than there really are.

Sean Michael Lisle