An American citizen with a group of hikers was shot and robbed Wednesday.

According to the U.S. Border Patrol, armed suspects believed to be Mexican cartel members, robbed the man and another hiker, a Canadien citizen, in the rugged Jacumba Wilderness near the Imperial County,  just north of the U. S. Mexican border. According to the Border Patrol, El Centro Sector Communications  received a call from the Imperial County Sheriff's Office 9-1-1 dispatch at about 11:00 a.m., and reported that a man had been shot and needed help. Border Patrol agents went to the area, about 1,000 feet north of the border, where they located the group of hikers. The group reported that they were confronted by armed individuals and were commanded to go towards the men. When the hikers refused to follow the armed subjects commands, the armed group fired a volley of shots towards the hiker. The American citizen was hit in the leg. The assailants then robbed the downed American and a Canadian citizen of their cellphones and backpacks. 

Shortly after noon, the Mountain Disrupt Unit, BORTAC, and Border Patrol Search and Rescue infiltrated the area. They located the injured man and were able to fly the injured man out of the area in a CBP Air and Marine Operations helicopter. The wounded man was then transferred to a Reach Air Ambulance that had staged at the Jacumba airport. The man was then flown to Sharp Medical Center in San Diego for treatment.

The assailants were tracked back to Mexico. El Centro Border Patrol Senior Chief Gregory Bovino said the assailants were suspected to be part of cartel terrorists.