CHULA VISTA (CBS8/CNS) – Chula Vista police sought the public’s help Thursday to find a 27-year-old San Diego resident recently identified as the man seen in surveillance video beating two women with an aluminum baseball bat during a fight outside a bar two months ago.
In a horrific scene caught on tape, a man swings a baseball bat and hits a woman in the face knocking her to the ground. The man also hits another woman in the back of the head.
Chula Vista Police released this video to CBS News 8 last month hoping someone would recognize the man and give them his name.
“It worked – we got immediate feedback from a lot of different sources identifying this guy [as] Jorge Becerra out of San Diego,” said Lt. Fritz Reber of Chula Vista Police Department. “He’s 27 years old, has gang ties, and [has] as a criminal history.”
Now police are asking for help again. They’ve been looking for Becerra, but can’t find him.
“Well, we do know he’s been in the San Diego area lately [and] we seem to be close to getting him, but can’t seem to grab him,” said Reber. “We don’t know where he is right now – obviously – he could be in Mexico, could be in the United States.”
Jorge Becerra allegedly grabbed the bat and struck both women in the head during a brawl involving several other people in front of the On the Rocks Bar at 656 E St. on Oct. 15, according to Chula Vista police. A warrant has been issued for his arrest.
Owner Chris Kapetanios says someone invited Becerra to a birthday party at On the Rocks and the group was having a good time with no signs of trouble.
“It was a nice, calm night,” Kapetanios said. “Everything was going well.”
But for some reason, things turned violent moments after the group left the bar.
“There was a scuffle [and a] few girls outside got into a fight,” Kapetanios explained. “This guy goes to his car and gets a baseball bat and knocks those two girls out.”
Becerra got into a car and left the scene.
One victim sustained a laceration to the back of her head that required stitches. The other suffered “debilitating injuries” including fractures to her skull and orbital bone and needed rehabilitation, police said.
Lt. Reber says it’s lucky Becerra didn’t kill the women, and seeing his actions on video – they know they have to get him off the street as fast as possible.
“He’s a dangerous fugitive,” Reber continued. “We realize that releasing this to the media may make him dig a little deeper, hide a little deeper, but the risk is worth the benefit.”
Becerra is Hispanic, 5 feet 9 and about 200 pounds, with black hair, brown eyes and tattoos on his neck and forearm. Police said he has gang ties and is considered dangerous.
Police urged anyone who spots Becerra to not approach him but immediately call 911. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is urged to call police at (619) 409-5487 or (619) 691-5151. Anonymous tips can be submitted by visiting the following link or calling police at (619) 422-8477 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
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