Man seeing prostitute attacked at motel, Merced police say

A 32-year-old man was injured Monday after being beaten by two unidentified people at a 16th Street motel, Merced police reported Tuesday.

The incident was reported at 12:49 p.m. at Gateway Motel, 1407 W. 16th St., Lt. Bimley West said. The victim was at the location to see a female prostitute, West said.

The woman, who was about 45 years old, and the victim went into a motel room. Once inside, the woman was joined by a male accomplice in his late 20s. The pair then beat the victim, hitting him over the head with a BB gun, West said.

The victim handed over his money to the attackers, and they fled the scene.

Police responded and found the victim bleeding from the head. He's expected to recover from his injuries. Officers recovered the BB gun at the scene.

Police are asking anyone with information about the attack to call (209) 385-6987, or the department's automated tipline at (209) 385-4725. The public can send information via anonymous text messages to Police Department by dialing "TIP411" (847411) and including the word "ComVIP" as the "keyword" in the text message.