LOS ANGELES, CA – Police are searching for two suspects accused of violently attacking and robbing a 48-year-old man while he was relaxing in a jacuzzi at an apartment complex in San Bernardino, an assault the victim described as random and unprovoked.
Greg Medina said he was sitting in the jacuzzi at the Creekside Village apartments Friday night when two young people approached him.
Surveillance video from the complex showed one suspect walking up behind Medina and delivering a forceful kick to the back of his head.
A second suspect then reached toward the concrete near the jacuzzi and took Medina’s cellphone.
Medina said he had earbuds in at the time and was listening to a class, which limited his awareness of the suspects as they approached.
“I felt a sharp kick behind my head,” he said.
He recalled seeing the pair in the distance beforehand but said nothing about their behavior initially appeared threatening.
Medina said the blow could have had far more serious consequences.
“I could have lost consciousness or I could have been hurt a lot worse and drowned,” he said.
After the suspects fled, Medina used his phone’s tracking feature and traced the device to a nearby apartment complex.
He contacted the San Bernardino Police Department, but investigators were unable to narrow the location to a specific unit within the larger complex.
Medina later went to an emergency room and was diagnosed with a concussion.
He said he took only one day off from work despite continuing to feel unwell because he is the sole parent providing for his 12-year-old daughter.
Medina works as a chef serving people experiencing homelessness through Lutheran Social Services of Southern California.
The organization’s San Bernardino Community Wellness Campus provides food assistance, street outreach, emergency shelter, transportation support and other services for vulnerable residents in the county.
Lutheran Social Services also operates a broader community meal program in San Bernardino that has historically depended heavily on staff and volunteers to prepare and distribute meals to people in need.
Medina said his typical workday begins around 5 a.m. and involves preparing meals for roughly 70 to 75 men.
That made the attack particularly troubling to him because of the contrast between his work serving vulnerable people and the violence he experienced at home.
The two suspects have not been publicly identified.
Medina said he believes they may be teenagers or young adults.
Police have not released confirmed ages, names or detailed physical descriptions.
Investigators are reviewing the surveillance footage and seeking the public’s help identifying both suspects.
Authorities said possible charges could include assault with a deadly weapon and robbery, both felony offenses, though no charging decision can be made unless suspects are identified and arrested.
The potential assault charge appears tied to the manner in which the kick was delivered and the resulting injury.
No weapon separate from the suspects’ bodies was described in the information released about the case.
The robbery allegation centers on the theft of Medina’s phone during the assault.
Police have not said whether the phone has been recovered.
Medina later canceled service to the device after attempts to track it failed to identify a specific apartment.
The San Bernardino Police Department lists 909-384-5742 as its main number and 909-383-5311 as its 24-hour non-emergency line.
The department says its broader mission includes crime prevention, identifying and apprehending offenders and preserving public safety throughout the city.
Police have not announced whether detectives believe the suspects live in the apartment complex where the phone was later tracked.
They also have not said whether the pair may be connected to other assaults or thefts in the area.
No motive has been identified.
Medina said he did not know either suspect and had no prior interaction with them before the attack.
That has led him to describe the incident as random.
The surveillance footage could play a central role in the investigation because Medina said he did not get a clear look at the attackers himself.
Police have not said whether additional cameras in the apartment complex or surrounding properties captured the suspects before or after the assault.
Authorities also have not disclosed whether witnesses saw the pair leave the area.
Medina said his biggest concern is that someone willing to attack him without warning could target a person who is less able to defend themselves.
“If they’re willing to do that to me, as a 48-year-old grown man, what are they going to do with a senior citizen that’s in there?” he said. “What are they going to do with someone that’s in a wheelchair?”
Despite the concussion and theft, Medina said he does not want retaliation against the suspects.
“I don’t hate them… I forgive them,” he said.
He added that he nevertheless believes they should be held accountable.
San Bernardino police continue to investigate the assault and robbery.
Anyone who recognizes either suspect or has information about the incident is asked to contact the San Bernardino Police Department.
No arrests had been announced as of the latest information available.
