Police are searching for an unknown number of men who allegedly
beat and stabbed three young males in north Gilroy early Saturday
morning while yelling gang phrases, according to police.
Police are searching for an unknown number of men who allegedly beat and stabbed three young males in north Gilroy early Saturday morning while yelling gang phrases, according to police.
The 19-, 22- and 23-year-old victims, whose names police withheld, drove themselves to a trauma center in another city to receive treatment for what police described as “severe” but non-life threatening injuries. The suspects used “stabbing instruments” to attack the victims and they yelled gang-related phrases during the assault near the intersection of Westwood Drive and Driftwood Terrace, but Sgt. Jim Gillio said it is too early to call the fight gang-related.
“We’re not sure what the motivation for attack was, so it may or may not be gang-related at this time,” Gillio said Monday morning. “Initially, it looks like a gang-related assault, but until we conclude the investigation, we won’t rule out any other possibilities.”
Neither witnesses nor victims immediately reported the crime, but Gillio would not attribute this to fears of reprisal and he said investigators, some of whom chose to pursue this case on their Mondays off, have subsequently gathered information from people.
Police heard about the incident from an employee at the unnamed trauma center, who reported the suspicious wounds to authorities after “whittling down that this was from Gilroy,” Gillio said.
It was unclear how much time elapsed between the incident and police response. In a press release early Saturday morning, Sgt. Chad Gallacinao estimated the attack happened about 3 a.m. On the scene, officers recovered unspecified evidence that Gillio would not describe. Gillio also declined to say if the suspects were on foot or driving or if the attack occurred inside or outside someone’s home. Police typically withhold details about an investigation from the public so officers can have the upper hand during later interviews with suspects.
Anyone with information regarding this case can contact Investigator Michael Bolton at 846-0350. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call 846-0330.
