SAN DIEGO — A hiker was shot and robbed Wednesday by “suspected cartel members” while hiking with a group near the boundary of San Diego and Imperial counties near the U.S.-Mexico border, the Border Patrol’s El Centro Sector said on social media.

On the sector’s Facebook page, officials said: “A group of U.S. citizens hiking in the Jacumba Wilderness in California was brutally attacked and strafed with gunfire by suspected cartel members in El Centro Sector’s area of responsibility. One victim was shot twice and robbed. These cartels think they can bring their war to American soil.”

The sector reported that a second person, a Canadian citizen, was also a victim. “He was shot at (uninjured) and later robbed after bravely staying at his wounded friend’s side,” the post reads.

The post includes a video of several people who appear to be law enforcement officers carrying a person to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection helicopter.

Agents “were dispatched to the area to rescue the hikers, evacuate them, and neutralize any threats,” the post reads.

The post does not say when the incident happened. However, an Imperial County sheriff’s lieutenant told The San Diego Union-Tribune on Wednesday that the shooting was reported to authorities about noon that day in an area known as Valley of the Moon. The area is near the boundary of San Diego and Imperial counties.

“There was a group of individuals hiking, and it appears one of the hikers may have been shot,” Sheriff’s Lt. Mike Mistriel said.

Mistriel said the hikers were in a remote area, but first responders “were able to get the victim transported out of the area.” The lieutenant said the hiker was taken to a hospital, but the hiker’s condition was not known.

Chief Patrol Agent Gregory Bovino, who heads the Border Patrol’s El Centro Sector, also posted about the matter on X. “American hiker strafed with gunfire & shot twice by suspected #cartel #terrorists in Jacumba, CA. Cartels think they can bring their war here. Think again!” Bovino’s post reads, in part.

No other details about the shooting were immediately available.

Staff writer Alexandra Mendoza contributed to this story.

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