Aptos Man Beaten with Baseball Bats, Suspects at Large

The area surrounding the Freedom Boulevard overpass has become a hotbed of crime over the past two months. On May 30, a man was . Last week, multiple cars were broken into on Bonita Drive, and on Friday, Aug. 10, an Encino Drive resident was hit 24 times with a baseball bat.

The victim, 27, received a call from his friend at 11:45 p.m. saying that he had run out of gas. He skateboarded down to the car to help and while he spoke with the friend, another man started beating him with a baseball bat. Both men participated in the beating, which left the victim with "cuts on his head, his face, his arms, his legs and his stomach," Sheriff's Deputy April Skalland said. 

The suspects took off and the victim started walking home when he was spotted by a neighbor who called 911. According to Skalland, deputies met the victim at his house and called an ambulance to take him to Watsonville Community Hospital.

Although no arrests have been made, the victim positively identified the suspects as James Michael Welch, 39, and Benjamin Robert Espinoza, 48. Both men live in Aptos, Salland said. 

The victim's injuries were not life-threatening, but Skalland said that "they were pretty serious. His eye was really banged up." According to the Santa Cruz Sentinel, the incident is being treated as a felony assault. 

The suspects' motives are not clear at this time. Skalland said it is not even known if they really needed gas. 

For now, there is probable cause to arrest Espinoza and Welch, and authorities will be on the look-out for their vehicles. If necessary, eventually the Sheriff's Office will obtain arrest warrants from the District Attorney's Office, Skalland said.

Anyone with information on the suspects should contact the Sheriff's Office at 831-471-1151.

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