SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO – One person is in custody after an assault in which authorities say two men asked a 31-year-old man for a cigarette Monday night, then shot at him.

The shot missed the man, but the two assailants chased him down the 31000 block of Los Rios Street and hit him in the head with the handgun, said Lt. Roland Chacon of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

The victim managed to run to his apartment and call deputies, he said. They received the call at 10:53 p.m.

The victim told deputies he was walking down the street when the two men asked him for a cigarette, Chacon said. When he said he didn’t have any, they followed and then chased him.

Authorities believe the assault may have been gang-related, Chacon said, although the victim is not a suspected gang member.

One person has been taken into custody, he said. His name was not released because he is a minor.

The case is still under investigation.

Contact the writer: shernandez@ocregister.com or 949-454-7361