Police believe daylight assault with baseball bat is
gang-related
Gilroy – The beating of a man by suspected gang members Wednesday night is a case of being at the wrong place at the wrong time, police said.
A 19-year-old Gilroy man and his uncle were walking down First Street near the intersection of Church Street about 5:30pm when a car driving past stopped. Four individuals got out of the sedan – one carrying a baseball bat – yelled at the victim and started taking swings at the teen, police said.
The uncle was left alone. However, the teen suffered bruises to his arms, hands and head. The injuries were not life threatening, police said.
“We believe this may be gang related,” said Sgt. Kurt Svardal. “The victim believes they are gang members.”
The suspect who hit the teen with the bat is described as a Hispanic male, 18 to 20 years old, 5-feet, 10-inches tall and slim. A witness said the other three all appeared to be younger than 25.
The victims do not speak English and are uncertain what the suspects yelled prior to the attack.
“They were minding their own business,” Svardal said. “If this is gang related, and these are innocent victims, it does raise awareness.”
The victims are not believed to be affiliated with a gang, police said.
Police are trying to determine why these men were targeted. The fact that they do not speak English, perhaps singled them out to the suspects, police said.
“The way they were dressed, there was nothing overt that it was gang (colors),” Svardal said.
One eyewitness, who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation, said the men had just left a nearby restaurant when they were attacked.
“People came out of a small car and hit a man with a bat and then ran away,” she said. “People came to help them and that’s why they ran. (The victims) said they never saw them before.”
The witness works nearby and is frightened that the men will come back.
“I was afraid when I saw the men on the ground. For two hours I was shaking,” she said. “It’s terrible. We are working and we don’t know if they will come back.”
According to the witness, the area has been changing over the past few years.
There has been an increase in fights among teens over the past few weeks.
“Before, everything was quiet,” she said, explaining how drunks and crowds of young men arguing are scaring away customers. “Sometimes people don’t want to say anything because they are afraid.”
Store owners were alarmed that the incident occurred in broad daylight during rush hour.
“It’s scary,” said Eleanor Frusetta, a travel agent at Gilroy Travel. “Thank God I’ve never seen anything.”
The Anti-Crime Team is handling the investigation and reported during the Gang Task Force meeting this month that tension is high between gangs with what appears to be immediate retaliation after gang-related incidents occur.
However, despite the proximity of recent First Street incidents, police do not believe they are related or over any turf wars.
“I think it’s coincidental right now,” Svardal said. “It is surprising the time of day they did this. We always try to be vigilant where crime is occurring.”
