Tuesday, Dec. 02, 2008
Thanksgiving weekend turns violent
By Corey Pride
cpride@losbanosenterprise.com
Police are searching for more details on a possible gang related drive-by shooting that occurred on J Street last Friday.
According to the Los Baños Police Department a 19-year-old man was shot in the buttocks after arguing with a group of people who were in a dark colored sport utility vehicle.
In a press release police stated that shortly after 2 p.m. officers responded to a report of shots fired on the 300 block of West J Street. When law enforcement arrived they learned that the gunshot victim had been transported to Memorial Hospital Los Baños for a non-life-threatening injury.
During the course of the investigation police discovered that the victim, a Los Baños resident, was seen arguing with the occupants of the SUV. The vehicle then drove off and came back a few minutes later, police said. The occupants fired about three or four shots, hitting the victim one time and striking a residence. No one inside the residence was injured.
The SUV was last seen traveling eastbound on West J Street.
The police have not revealed much more about the incident but the investigation so far has lead to some tentative conclusions.
“The information we have received indicates this shooting may be gang related. It doesn't appear that this incident and the stabbing from the previous day are related, however we are not ruling out that possibility,” Sgt. Chet Stygar said.
Thanksgiving Day Stabbing
A woman was stabbed while walking down the street on Thanksgiving Day, Los Baños police said. She was treated and released from Memorial Hospital Los Baños.
Sgt. Chet Stygar said a 30-year-old female was walking along the 300 block of J Street when she was approached by a male who spoke to her in Spanish. The victim didn't speak Spanish and began to walk away,according to police. She subsequently felt a pain in the middle of her back and realized she had been stabbed.
The suspect is described as an Hispanic male who is a young adult or in his late teens. He is reportedly about 5-foot-7-inches tall with short brown hair, bushy eyebrows and a thin mustache. The suspect also had facial acne scars, and was last seen wearing a dark colored flannel shirt and black jeans.
“At this time we have not determined the motive for this stabbing and feel this is an isolated incident that is not related to the shooting the following day,” Stygar said.
Anyone with information regarding the shooting or stabbing incident is strongly encouraged to contact the Los Baños Police Department at 209 827-7070. To leave an anonymous crime tip call, 209 827-7070 ext. 288.
Enterprise staff writer Corey Pride can be reached at 388-6563 or cpride@losbanosenterprise.com
