San Marcos Man Survives Bullet to Head

Ricardo Hernandez, 51, said the men who shot and beat him should just get a job

A San Diego County man took a bullet to the head and just hours later he was able talk about it.

Ricardo Hernandez, 51, says he’s still sore but he’s lucky to be alive.

At 8:30 a.m. Sunday, Hernandez was shot in the back of the head during an attempted robbery on Smilax Road in San Marcos.

Hernandez was taking his dog out for walk when a car stopped in front of him.

“They asked me for directions. Then all of a sudden they got out of the car and said ‘We want money. Give us your money,’” Hernandez said.

One of the three men got out of the car and shot him Hernandez said. The bullet hit him in the back of the head and went out the other side.

When he heard another man get out and demand the gun Hernandez said he started running.

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Late Sunday, Hernandez spoke with NBC 7 San Diego from his home. He has stitches where the bullet entered his skull.

He’s fortunate to be home and able to tell his story tonight.

He has gashes on his face from where the suspects beat him with an empty beer bottle.

The men had caught up with him but took off. Hernandez thinks the suspects may have heard nearby residents who stepped out of their homes to see what was going on.

“They’re just bad people who have nothing better to do than run the streets. They should just get a job. So they don’t have to beg for money and so they could leave people like me alone,” Hernandez said.

Sheriff’s Lt. Scott Amos said the suspects fled the scene in a black car, possibly a Honda.

Lt. Amos said the three suspects, described as Hispanic males in their 20s, were not immediately located. They remain at large.

Suspects were last seen in a green, four-door Honda from the 1990s.

Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.

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