Hollister
– The Hollister Police Department is investigating the
gang-related stabbing of a 15-year-old Hollister boy on Westside
Boulevard Monday night.
Hollister – The Hollister Police Department is investigating the gang-related stabbing of a 15-year-old Hollister boy on Westside Boulevard Monday night.
The teenager, who cannot be identified due to his age, was stabbed six times at approximately 9:17pm and eventually flown by helicopter to an undisclosed Bay Area hospital, said Officer Rosie Betanio, a spokeswoman for the Hollister Police Department. She said his wounds were serious but not life-threatening.
The stabbing is Hollister’s first incident of gang violence in 2007.
Authorities said the stabbing was gang-related and the 15-year-old victim is a self-proclaimed member of the Norteño street gang. The Hollister Police Department doesn’t have any suspects, although the teenager said his attackers were out-of-town members of the rival Sureño gang.
At the time of the attack, the teenager was wearing a red knit cap, red shirt and red shorts over a pair of blue jeans, Betanio said. Red is the color associated with the Norteños; blue is the color associated with the Sureños.
Even after being stabbed, the teen told police he had no intention of denouncing his gang affiliation, Betanio said.
According to the victim, he and a 14-year-old friend, who is also a self-identified Norteño gang member, were riding their bikes through the 1300 block of Westside Boulevard, Betanio said. A gray or green late-model Honda and a gray or green late-model pickup truck pulled up alongside them, Betanio said. Someone in one of the vehicles asked the two boys, “What do you claim?” Betanio said.
The 15-year-old victim told the suspects he was a “Norte,” Betanio said. The teenager told police nine suspects got out of the two vehicles and began chasing him and his friend, she said.
“The friend that he was with was able to run from the scene,” Betanio said.
The suspects caught the 15-year-old and stabbed him six times in the 1300 block of Westside Boulevard, Betanio said. Authorities do not know how many of the suspects actually stabbed the teenager, but said he was stabbed in the back, stomach, arm and leg.
Police responded to a 911 call from the owner of a home on C Street who saw the 15-year-old jump the back fence of the property, Betanio said. Officers found the teenager in the back yard, she said.
The teenager was treated by emergency officials at the scene, Betanio said. The Hollister Fire Department took the victim to Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital, where he was flown by helicopter to a Bay Area hospital for further treatment.
Authorities have collected evidence from the scene but are unable to disclose what evidence was taken due to the ongoing investigation of the stabbing, Betanio said.
The 14-year-old friend of the victim was later interviewed by an officer and is cooperating with police, but no other witnesses have come forward, Betanio said.
“Apparently some people heard words or yelling,” she said. “Usually when it’s gang-related, a lot of neighbors are reluctant to talk.”
Fear of retaliation often keeps witnesses from stepping forward in a gang-related incident, Betanio said.
But Betanio said she encourages anyone with information to contact the Hollister Police Department at 831-636-4330.
Michael Van Cassell covers public safety for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or [email protected].
