A 14-year-old girl seriously injured in an assault Sunday
morning was extremely intoxicated at the time of the attack,
according to police.
A 14-year-old girl seriously injured in an assault Sunday morning was extremely intoxicated at the time of the attack, according to police.
Police responded to a report of a fight at 1:32 a.m. on Church Street between Ninth and Eighth streets. When officers arrived on the scene, they found the Hispanic teen, whose name and address police withheld because she is a juvenile, intoxicated and in need of serious medical attention.
The girl was flown to a San Jose trauma center, where she remained Tuesday in serious but not life-threatening condition, Sgt. Chad Gallacinao said.
There were no weapons used in the assault and it is unknown whether the incident was gang-related, he said. However, Gallacinao would not say how many people assaulted the teen or whether the teen had been at a party previous to the attack because he did not want to jeopardize the investigation or corrupt future witness reports.
The initial police report said the suspects were unknown and had fled the scene prior to officers’ arrival.
Police have not yet gotten a statement from the teen, Gallacinao said. The girl is conscious, but is not ready to talk, doctors said.
“We want her off her medication so she can give us a clear, concise statement,” Gallacinao said.
Police have taken statements from some witnesses and have more witnesses to contact, he said.
The incident marks the third time in less than a month and a half that a juvenile has been attacked and sent to the hospital. About a month ago, two 17-year-old males were beaten and stabbed in a parking lot near the intersection of Princevalle Street and Fairview Drive – less than four blocks from Sunday’s incident. One of the boys had been stabbed in the head and, as of late November, was still in the hospital, though he was listed in fair condition.
Soon after that incident, a young woman sliced another woman with a large blade during a fight at Las Animas Veterans Park. The victim went to Saint Louise Regional Hospital and was released the same day. As of late November, police were pursuing a warrant to arrest the woman.
While once occasional, “assaults like this are becoming more common,” Gallacinao said.
