Authorities are searching for four men suspected of rear-ending a man, kidnapping him and then burglarizing his home in Corona, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office announced Friday.
The victim, Donald Pierre Jr., said he had just dropped off his dog at the groomer and was on his way to run another errand on Wednesday morning when he was rear-ended near the Indian Truck Trail and the 15 Freeway.
After the collision, Donald said he got out of the car and called his wife, Sandra Beltran Pierre, while he assessed the damage.
While on the phone with Sandra, a man from the other vehicle, a silver Ford SUV, allegedly approached and confronted Donald.
Donald and the man went back and forth about the situation – a conversation that ultimately escalated with the suspect attacking him.
Amidst this attack, the sheriff’s office said more men came out of the other car, joined in the assault and then forced Donald into the back of their vehicle.
Donald said the suspects then went through his car and took what they could.
However, while all of this was happening, Sandra was still on the phone. According to Donald, Sandra mistakenly thought good Samaritans were helping her husband when the truth was they were beating him, preparing to steal his car, holding him hostage, and more.
Donald said the suspects realized that Sandra was still on the phone and told him to say he was “with the cops.”
According to the sheriff’s office, the suspects then got Donald’s address out of him and they drove both their car and his Tesla to his home located in the 2900 block of Villa Catalonia.
Meanwhile, Sandra, who was not home at the time, was tracking Donald’s Tesla. She said she thought that Donald was behind the wheel and may have been disoriented from the crash.
When Donald and the men arrived at his house, the suspects purportedly began ransacking the place, taking watches, designer bags and more.
After making off with valuables from Donald’s home, Donald ran to safety at his neighbor’s house.
Eventually, Sandra got in contact with authorities and neighbors and realized she was not following her husband, but rather a very dangerous car thief.
She told KTLA’s Chris Wolfe that she followed the Tesla some 30 miles away to a shopping center in Buena Park.
She said she recorded the driver after he ditched her husband’s car and walked away with her husband’s Gucci satchel filled with cash.
The two came within inches of each other, and Sandra said when he noticed her recording, he started to chase her car, but she managed to escape.
At 10:21 a.m., the sheriff’s office said deputies were dispatched to Donald’s residence for reports of a kidnapping from around 9:45 a.m.
The sheriff’s office said no arrests were made at that time, but the investigation is ongoing with a wealth of video evidence, including from the stolen Tesla.
