Crime & Safety

Pro Mountain Biker Recovering After Being Shot in Santa Cruz Park

Police have released a sketch of the gunman.

A professional mountain biker who was shot in the shoulder during a mugging in Santa Cruz's San Lorenzo Park earlier this week is healing, and police say finding his assailant is top priority.

Matthew Slaven, 36, was walking with the friends around 10 p.m. Monday when a mugger approached them, demanded their wallets, then shot Slaven as another member of the group threw a wallet toward the gunman, according to media reports.

Slaven, of Portland, was struck once in the upper chest—an injury that broke his clavicle, bruised a lung and left a bullet lodged in his neck

OregonLive, the online version of the Oregonian newspaper, spoke with one of the friends who as with Slaven that night. James Patrin told the newspaper about the scary encounter. He said the armed man concealed his face with a red bandana and demanded money from the group.

“I am going to shoot you. I’m not kidding,” Patrin was quoted as saying.

The investigation is ongoing. No arrests have been made.

Find out what's happening in Santa Cruzwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Santa Cruz police released a sketch of the gunman Wednesday. They had tried unsuccessfully to track the gunman with a K-9 on the night of the shooting. Deputy Police Chief Rick Martinez told the Santa Cruz Sentinel investigators were following "pretty solid leads" in the case.


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