HEMET- The Riverside Sheriff’s Department has identified the suspect involved in a carjacking and kidnapping that occurred on Sunday, and is seeking the community’s help to find him.
On Sunday at around noon, a man approached a driver getting gas at the Shell Station located on 1213 Calimesa Blvd. in the city of Calimesa. The victim reported that a Hispanic or white male adult jumped into his vehicle and asked him to give him a ride. When asking nicely didn’t work, the suspect withdrew a sawed-off shotgun from the back of his pants and brandished it at the victim. The victim drove off with his dangerous passenger, and was eventually able to talk the man into dropping him off. The victim arrived at a location in Hemet where the kidnapper allowed him to exit the vehicle, and then drove off with his car. At this point the victim was able to call the police.
When police arrived on the scene, they were unable to locate the suspect. The carjacker was last seen driving the victim’s Silver 2001 4-Door Hyundai XG model.
Authorities were able to get a clear description of the suspect as well as procure video survellience of the man. On Thursday, the Riverside Sheriff’s department identified Ronnie J. Paez, age 33 as the suspect. Paez and the victim’s vehicle are still outstanding.
The suspect is described as a white or Hispanic male, mid- 20s, 5’06”, 145 lbs, brown hair and brown eyes, shaved eyebrows with tattoos on his face, neck, and hands including: An “NC” tattoo on his right cheek, block lettering on his eyebrows, tattoo on the left hand possibly starting with “21”, tattoo on the right hand possibly starting with “18” and possibly 3 dots on his face.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Investigator Lane at the Cabazon Sheriff’s Station at 951-922-7100 or the Riverside County Sheriff’s Dispatch Center (1-800-950-2444), or email the Cabazon Station at Station at CabazonStation@RiversideSheriff.org.
