Two alleged Norte
ño gang members were arrested Monday night after one of them was
tased when he refused to lay down a tire iron he was allegedly
using as a weapon.
Morgan Hill – Two alleged Norteño gang members were arrested Monday night after one of them was tased when he refused to lay down a tire iron he was allegedly using as a weapon.
According to Morgan Hill police Cmdr. David Swing, the Norteños were involved in a fight with Sureño gang members at approximately 10:15pm at the Jack in the Box restaurant on Monterey Road in south Morgan Hill.
Reuben Robles, 18, of Morgan Hill and Alex Mensing, 20, of Morgan Hill, were cited and released, and Robles, who was tased, was taken to Saint Louise Regional Hospital and was medically cleared.
Swing said Morgan Hill police Cpl. Ray Ramos was flagged down at Monterey Road and Vineyard Boulevard, some 50 yards south of the restaurant, and informed that eight to 10 suspects were involved in a fight in the parking lot.
As Ramos arrived, four or five people ran from the scene, and Ramos ordered the remaining suspects to get down on the ground. Robles was allegedly holding a tire iron over his head, and at Ramos’ command, he dropped the iron down to his side but did not get down on the ground. Robles began to walk away, Swing said, and Ramos tased him.
“At that point, Cpl. Ramos had a decision to make; he had witnessed the suspect committing a felony in his presence, the suspect was refusing to obey his command to stop and instead trying to escape,” Swing said. “The other subjects are on the ground, and he can’t walk past them without creating an officer safety issue.”
Robles was arrested without incident for allegedly brandishing a weapon in an aggressive manner, fighting in public, battery and resisting arrest.
Mensing, who allegedly was with convicted murderer Anthony Frausto when he shot and killed Luis Bautista in September 2005, was arrested for allegedly fighting in public and battery.
Swing said that three of the suspects at the scene were Sureños that reported receiving injury. One complained of minor contusions to his head and face, a second had contusions to the face and back soreness, and a third complained of pain in his back and side. The three victims are reportedly Newark residents who were visiting two Morgan Hill females, allegedly known to affiliate with Sureño gang members.
The fight apparently started as the victims and the females were in a vehicle in the drive-thru of the restaurant. Robles, Mensing and other reported Norteños were in the parking lot, spotted the Sureños, and allegedly yelled gang slurs at them. Robles allegedly threw a rock and hit one of the victims in the stomach, and they got out of the car and began fighting.
