Local resident still in critical condition after attack
Monday
Morgan Hill – In the latest flare-up of gang activity in the city, Morgan Hill Police say five Hispanic gang members attacked three victims with knives Monday evening, sending a 19-year-old local resident to the hospital in critical condition.
Police arrested three of the suspects – two 15-year-olds and one 16-year-old – on Monday. By Wednesday, police had arrested the other two teens, also 15-year-olds. All the suspects are Morgan Hill residents and believed to be members of a Norteño gang, according to police.
Luis Cruz, 19, of Morgan Hill, received a severe stab wound to the upper left abdomen near the heart in the 7:30pm attack. He remained in critical but stable condition Friday afternoon, according to MHPD Sgt. Dave Myers.
Enrique Cruz, 25, received a minor abrasion on his left wrist. It was a defensive injury, MHPD Cmdr. Joe Sampson said. His watch was cut from his wrist as he deflected the blow from a knife. It is unclear how many of the suspects had knives, Sampson said.
The third victim, a 14-year-old Morgan Hill male, was treated at the scene for minor lacerations on his left hand, also defensive injuries.
It was the juvenile that was apparently the target of this attack. Sampson said he is “believed to be a Sureño sympathizer,” while the other two victims “have not been identified as gang associates.” Enrique Cruz had recently moved to Morgan Hill from Connecticut.
The 14-year-old victim is listed as a Britton Middle School student, Sampson said, and some of the suspects are South County students.
All five suspects were taken to Juvenile Hall.
The attack occurred on the 16800 block of Del Monte Avenue as the victims were reportedly unloading a vehicle at a residence. Police said the group of males, approximately five juveniles, approached from across the street to the victims while flashing gang signs. They allegedly showed knives and began attacking the three victims.
The suspects fled on foot as police officers arrived on the scene. The knife used to stab Luis Cruz was not found at the scene, Sampson said, and although a search was conducted in the residence of one of the suspects, the weapon has not been located.
Police do not believe the attack is related to the Sept. 30 homicide of Luis Bautista, 19, of Gilroy. His alleged killer, Anthony J. Frausto, 18, of Morgan Hill is being held without bail in the Santa Clara County Jail accused of shooting him four times.
“I don’t think there’s anything that demonstrates any connection,” Sampson said. “The gang activity is maturing in the city. We have seen the little signs over the past three years, but we had neither the manpower nor the organizational structure to address it at a level we would have liked to. Now we are structured in such a way, we can do department-wide gang training, we are revamping our gang strategy, and we are able to network with other south county agencies.”
Full-blown gang activity, such as is seen in larger cities, doesn’t pop up out of the blue, Sampson said.
“These kinds of things don’t just happen overnight,” Sampson said. “There’s a gradual progression, a maturation process, and that’s what we’re seeing now. We are working to address it. We are focusing our resources on stopping it before it matures further.”
