GILROY – A 14-year-old Gilroy boy was assaulted Sunday evening by six suspects near Alexander and Sixth streets reportedly for refusing to join their gang, according to the Gilroy Police Department.
The victim told police he was walking home in that area around 9 p.m. when a group comprised of five males and one female – all known to the victim – approached him, according to a GPD press report. The suspects then punched and kicked the teen allegedly because “he would not join their gang,” the report states.
The victim reportedly lost consciousness for approximately one hour. When he awoke, he complained of pain to his head and was bleeding from his mouth, according to the report.
The teen received treatment at a Bay Area hospital for serious injuries, GPD Sgt. Chad Gallacinao said.
“Beyond that, I don’t know if there’s anything else I can release because the investigation is ongoing,” Gallacinao said.
The GPD’s anti-crime team is handling the investigation. Information on possible suspects was not released as of Tuesday afternoon.
Anyone with information about this incident is urged to call the GPD at 846-0350, or anonymously at 1-800-782-7463.
No buds about it: Maid finds garbage bag of pot plant stems
A maid at a Monterey Road motel in Gilroy discovered a black garbage bag filled with 15 pounds of marijuana plant stems Friday afternoon. The plants’ buds, however – the parts removed to be either smoked or sold – were gone, according the GPD press report.
With the buds attached, the find could have carried a street value of at least $20,000, Gallacinao said.
“Yeah it’s pretty unusual (to find just marijuana stems),” Gallacinao said. “They usually dispose of it and it’s never found.”
Without the buds, “The rest of the plant is pretty much useless,” he said.
The bag was found in one of the motel’s stairwells, but police haven’t been able to tie it to any specific room or person, Gallacinao said.
Illegal card skimmer found at Gilroy gas station
A card skimmer – sometimes used to illegally obtain information of credit and debit card users – was located at a Gilroy gas station last week. It’s not yet known, however, how long the skimmer was attached to one of the fuel pumps or if anyone’s credit or debit card numbers were stolen, according to the GPD.
“We are not aware, as of yet, of any cases where a customer’s credit card number has been compromised,” Gallacinao said. “If people have their information compromised, and they believe they were a customer of the business, they need to contact the police department as soon as they can.”
The skimmer was discovered Thursday night by a manager at a Chevron station on Westwood Drive, according to the GPD.
Gallacinao said card skimmers are rare in Gilroy – it’s been years since he’s heard about a local gas station or ATM tagged by the device.
“It occurs throughout the state, but this is the first time I’ve heard of something in town,” he said.
