Three Juveniles Arrested After MH Knife Attack

Stabbing sends one teen to hospital in critical condition with
wound to upper abdomen
Morgan Hill – Police arrested three Hispanic juveniles they say attacked three young men with knives, sending one to the hospital in critical condition,

Luis Cruz, 19, of Morgan Hill suffered a severe stab wound to the upper left abdomen near the heart in the attack that occurred at 7:30pm Monday. He remained in critical but stable condition Tuesday afternoon, according to MHPD Cmdr. Joe Sampson. Enrique Cruz, 25, suffered a minor abrasion on his left wrist. It was a defensive injury, Sampson said. His watch was cut from his wrist as he deflected the blow from the knife.

The third victim, a 14-year-old Morgan Hill male, was treated at the scene for minor lacerations on his left hand, also defensive injuries.

It was the juvenile who was apparently the target of this attack. MHPD Cmdr. Joe Sampson said he is “believed to be a Sureño sympathizer,” while the other two victims “have not been identified as gang associates.” Enrique Cruz had recently moved to Morgan Hill from Connecticut.

The 14-year-old victim is listed as a Britton Middle School student, Sampson said, and some of the suspects are South County students. 

Two 15-year-old suspects are still at large, Sampson said.

“We believe we know who they are, and we are narrowing the focus of our investigation to the individuals we believe are involved,” he said.

The attack occurred on the 16800 block of Del Monte Avenue as the victims were reportedly unloading a vehicle at a residence when a group of five juvenile males ran across the street toward the victims while flashing gang signs. Apparently the suspects are Norteño affiliates, Sampson said. They allegedly displayed their knives then began attacking the three victims. 

The suspects fled on foot as police officers arrived on scene. The knife used to stab Luis Cruz was not found at the scene, Sampson said, and although a search was conducted in the residence of one of the suspects, the knife was apparently not in the residence.

The attack is not thought to be related to the Sept. 30 homicide of Luis Bautista, 19, of Gilroy. Anthony J. Frausto, 18, of Morgan Hill is being held without bail in the Santa Clara County Jail accused of shooting him four times.

“I don’t think there’s anything that demonstrates any connection,” Sampson said. “The gang activity is maturing in the city. We have seen the little signs over the past three years, but we had neither the manpower nor the organizational structure to address it at a level we would have liked to. Now we are structured in such a way, we can do department-wide gang training, we are revamping our gang strategy, and we are able to network with other south county agencies.”

Full-blown gang activity, such as is seen in larger cities, doesn’t pop up out of the blue, Sampson said.

“These kinds of things don’t just happen overnight,” Sampson said. “There’s a gradual progression, a maturation process, and that’s what we’re seeing now. We are working to address it. We are focusing our resources on stopping it before it matures further.”