A 17-year-old store assistant is tonight at the hospital awaiting surgery to fix his jaw after a gang of youths broke it in a robbery attempt. 17 year old Errol Villanueva told us that at around 7:40 he was going home after a day's work at Malic's Supermarket on Central American boulevard when 5 young men, hardly 14 years old surrounded him and brutally assaulted him with a knife and a piece of board. From his hospital bed today, Errol Villanueva told us more.
Errol Villanueva, Attacked
"I was walking the night, because I just got my pay from work, and I was walking towards Boulevard to go home. When I was walking I saw shadows of some boys, I didn't really recognize any of them, so I walked and when I looked I saw about five boys surrounding me. They asked for money and I told them I had nothing. Then two came from the other side, by Cuello's area, and they asked me again and I told them I don't have anything. I was going to drink the first sip of rum and I went for the first sip and they lashed me in my jaw with a board. One of them hauled out a gun and one of them told him not to use that, use a knife. At that same time, one lashed me in my back with a steel and one lashed me in my ears and took out one of my earring. Then one of the boys from Cuello's kicked me from backway and the same time Kendis hauled out a knife to try and stab me but I had a bike with a corn flakes and milk in my hand so I swung that and knocked the knife out of his hand. Right there I started to run, I ran across the street and looked for something to defend myself. I didn't find anything. One of my homeboys saw me running from far so we picked up a stick and he came after them. So they turned around and went back to their areas."
Alfonso Noble,
Are you afraid that these young men, if they get out of police lockdown, that they might attack you again?
Errol Villanueva,
"Not really because I am not really afraid of them. They came in a crowd that night but if they come single-single, I won't have any problems. I know they wanted to hurt me because they didn't have to lash me in my jaw."
Doctors have certified the injury to Villanueva as harm and police have picked up 5 minors ranging in ages from 13 to 15. They were charged for the crime of attempted robbery while one of the 14 and one of the 15 year olds were additionally charged with grievous harm.
