West Palm Beach man Noel Ortiz, 21, charged with carjacking, grand theft auto

Noel Ortiz is facing charges of carjacking, grand theft auto, robbery and aggravated battery after police said that he participated in a June 2 carjacking on Selkirk Street.

The victim, who is not identified in the report, told police that he and a friend had gone to the El Paso restaurant in Lake Worth. When the restaurant closed at 2 a.m., they then decided to go to the Las Brisas restaurant in West Palm Beach for beers, police said. The man said that, as he was leaving the El Paso restaurant, he noticed two men and two women standing next to a green car. The man later saw the same group walk into Las Brisas. The two men started a conversation, and the alleged victim said that he bought them beers. The men were prostituting one of the females, an arrest report said.

The victim said that the women got into his car and he drove them to the 600 block of Selkirk Street and parked. When he got out of his car, one of the men, later identified as Ortiz, approached and punched him in the mouth, the report said. The victim began to fight back when the second suspect jumped him from behind, the report said. That suspect got into the man’s car and drove away, the report said. Ortiz allegedly removed the victim’s wallet and cell phones and ran away.

Officers reviewing surveillance video identified Ortiz as one of the suspects. On June 7, the victim selected Ortiz’s picture from a photo lineup. The report does not indicate whether the other suspect will face charges.