Pregnant woman shot in head, survives; attacker sought

Photo: Courtesy Pacifica Police Department Photo: Courtesy Pacifica Police Department Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Pregnant woman shot in head, survives; attacker sought 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

A pregnant woman was shot in the head Wednesday by her ex-boyfriend in Pacifica and survived while police launched a manhunt for her armed attacker, authorities said.

Ricardo Colindres, a 25-year-old transient known to frequent Brisbane, is considered armed and dangerous and was last seen fleeing the shooting scene at an apartment complex on the 1000 block of Terra Nova Boulevard in a silver Toyota.

Colindres apparently tried to abduct his 25-year-old ex-girlfriend outside the complex, where she worked, before shooting her in the head around 8:10 a.m., said Pacifica Police Capt. Joe Spanheimer.

“Our understanding is that he may have attempted to kidnap her, and when she refused to go along, that’s when the shot was fired.” Spanheimer said.

A witness at the scene reported a gunshot and then heard the victim screaming.

The woman, whom The Chronicle is not naming, was taken to a hospital, where she was treated for a gunshot wound to the back of the head, police said. She was reportedly 8 months pregnant.

Spanheimer initially said the woman gave emergency birth, but later said that doctors did not decide to induce birth.

“I believe everyone is stable at this point,” Spanheimer said.

Colindres sped away from the scene in a Silver Toyota Camry with California license plate 6CGN644, police said. He was described as 5-foot-5, 125 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.

Anyone who sees the suspect was urged to call 911.

The victim had filed a restraining order against Colindres in San Mateo County Superior Court in June 2015. The woman’s family asked for privacy Wednesday at her Pacifica home, while they struggled to make sense of the violence.

Renée O’Brian, 95, lives at the apartment complex where the shooting happened and said the victim worked in the office there. She said the woman was planning on taking time off work soon because of her nearing due date.

“This is dreadful, dreadful,” O’Brian said near the shooting scene Wednesday. “She is absolutely gorgeous. Why would anyone shoot her?”

Friends on social media had recently been congratulating the victim about the forthcoming birth of a baby boy.

Evan Sernoffsky and Jenna Lyons are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com, jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky, @JennaJourno