Watsonville Police: Man’s car stolen at knife point while he was washing it

A man had his car stolen at knife point while he was washing it at a Freedom Boulevard car wash, Watsonville police said.

The man told officers that he was washing his 1997 BMW 320 I around 6 p.m. when two Hispanic men in their 30s or 40s approached him. One of the men began asking questions about the car, then pulled out what looked like a kitchen knife.

He attempted to stab the car owner in the ribs, and the second man told him to hand over his car keys.

The man complied, and gave them his keys. The suspects got into the BMW and fled northbound on Freedom Boulevard.

Officers conducted an extensive search for the suspects and vehicle with negative results. The county-wide Project R.O.P.E protocol was activated — a coordinated effort among all county law enforcement personnel on duty to pro-actively search for suspects – but the suspects and the car weren’t found.

Anyone with information or who may have witnesses the incident is encouraged to call the Watsonville Police Department Investigations Bureau at 768-3350 or the Watsonville Police tipline at 768-3544