HOLLY HILL, Fla. – A man was pistol-whipped and carjacked late Wednesday while he was texting at an intersection in Volusia County, police said.
The carjacking was reported around 11 p.m. at Carswell Avenue and 2nd Street in Holly Hill.
"This was the scariest thing in my life," the victim said.
The man declined to reveal his identity but showed News 6 the injuries he suffered near the railroad tracks on 2nd Street and Carswell Avenue. The victim said he was driving his father's car and pulled over to text him that he'll be late picking him up, when his car doors flew open.
Police said three gunmen confronted the driver, who was stopped at the intersection, and demanded all his money.
"By the time I reached to my phone, all I see are three black males and they had pointed the guns at me," he said. "They asked me to give them all I had and to get out of the car."
The driver tried to put his 2005 Toyota Matrix into gear, but one of the assailants pistol-whipped him, police said.
The gunmen told the man to get out of the car and take off his clothes, and they drove off as he was taking off his shirt, police said.
"I told him 'I have nothing on me All I have is $11, my ID and my credit card. That's it,'" he said. The men threatened to shoot the victim if he didn't turn over what he had.
The trio took off in the car and left the man bloody and beaten. Police said he ran to his girlfriend's home to call 911 and then used her phone to find his car using an "Find my Phone" application.
"It located it at someone's house behind Bethune-Cookman University," he said.
The man alerted police and within 30 minutes, officers said they recovered his damaged car.
The driver said he's thankful to be alive and hopes police will catch these men before they strike again.
"They're probably going to do this to other people. That's why I called the police, so they can find these people and stop them," he said.
Investigators said they're looking for three black men between 22 and 24 years old. Two of them have dreadlocks and a third has a faded haircut. Police said all three men were dressed in black. If you have any information, please call Daytona Beach Police Dept.
Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call the Holly Hill Police Department.