Two People Hurt in Fight on Pacific Avenue Tuesday Night

A fight over a bicycle Pacific Avenue Tuesday night led to injuries for two people—one, a 21-year-old woman who had stopped to help—a search for the third, and the arrest of a teenager from Merced.

Michael Wilkins, 18, was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon and strong-armed robbery. He was booked into Santa Cruz County Jail.

Santa Cruz police got a call about the fight at 7 p.m. from a business in the 800 block of Pacific Avenue. When officers arrived, they found an unconscious man, lying on the ground and bleeding from a head wound. The victim is a 56-year-old transient. The young woman, a Santa Cruz resident, had been injured on her arm, the police department reported.

Witnesses told officers that a man had run from the scene, and shortly thereafter, officer Sergio Venegas found someone who matched the description of the suspect a block to the north, not far from the bus depot in the 900 block of Pacific Avenue.

Three witnesses identified Wilkins as the suspect who had assaulted the victims, police said.

After conducting an investigation, police determined that Wilkins and the male victim had fought when Wilkins tried to take a bicycle from the man, claiming it was his stolen bike. As the fight continued, Wilkins knocked the man to the ground and hit and kicked him in the head multiple times, the police reported.

During the fight, the woman tried to stop Wilkins and was injured in her right arm. Santa Cruz Fire Department and paramedics treated her and the man at the scene. She was released, but the man was flown to a Santa Clara County trauma center for treatment. His injuries are not considered life threatening, and he is in stable condition, according to the report.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call Deputy Chief Steve Clark at 831-420-5815, or to leave anonymous information, to call the police tip line at 831-420-5995.