Salinas police conduct attempted murder investigation after teen shot in buttocks

SALINAS, Calif. (KION) Salinas police are conducting an attempted murder and attempted robbery investigation after they said a 17-year-old was shot in the buttocks.

Just after 3 p.m. Monday, officers responded to a report of a shooting victim at Natividad and found the victim, who had been shot once.

The victim told police that he was smoking outside his apartment in the 0-100 block of North Madeira Avenue when he was approached by two people. When he started to go back to his apartment, the victim said one of the suspects pulled out a knife, grabbed him and tried to pull off the gold chain he was wearing.

The victim said he pushed the suspect away and started running toward his apartment. He said he heard gunshots and saw that he had been shot when he got inside. A family member took him to the hospital, and he is expected to recover.

The suspects left the area after the shooting. A nearby vehicle was hit, but police did not find any other shooting victims.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Salinas police at 831-758-7321 or 831-775-4222 to remain anonymous.