A botched robbery may have been the motive behind an alleged
attempted murder that left a 23-year-old man wounded and bleeding
in the street Saturday night.
A botched robbery may have been the motive behind an alleged attempted murder that left a 23-year-old man wounded and bleeding in the street Saturday night.
Investigators with the Hollister Police Department said suspects Ruben Mendoza, 21, Marco Mendoza, 18, and a 17-year-old, whose name was not released because of his age, all of Hollister, were arrested for attempted murder, attempted robbery and conspiracy for the stabbing that took place at 1300 San Juan Road Saturday night.
The suspects are being held in the San Benito County Jail and Juvenile Hall, according to police and jail records.
If they are convicted of the allegations, they could be sentenced up to 20 years in state prison, according to the California Penal Code.
The three suspects allegedly attacked Ernesto Lopez, 23, Saturday as he was walking through a field next to the Quik Stop convenience store at 1300 San Juan Road.
Lopez told police that he was attacked by the trio after they confronted him near the edge of a field and demanded money. When Lopez refused, the suspects allegedly attacked him and a fight ensued.
As the fight continued with Lopez desperately trying to keep the attackers at bay, the suspects allegedly stabbed him repeatedly in the abdomen and upper torso area, police said.
As Lopez fell to the pavement, a San Benito County Sheriff’s Deputy drove up on the scene, which sent the suspects fleeing through the field, witnesses said.
Lopez suffered traumatic injuries to his face, arms and chest. He had been stabbed numerous times with an unknown object, police said.
Approximately 15 minutes after the initial call for help, Hollister police officers arrested the three suspects near the intersection of Central Avenue and Graf Road.
Lopez sustained life-threatening injuries and was transported by air ambulance to a Bay Area trauma center where he was listed in serious but stable condition, police said.
Criminal charges could be filed against the three suspects by Wednesday.
Anyone with information regarding the stabbing should call Detective David Godoy or the Hollister Police Department’s on-duty watch commander at 636-4330.
