Wednesday, December 24, 2008 Teen critical after gang attack
A TEENAGER was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, after he was mauled and stabbed by numerous youth gang members for no reason, in the wee hours of the morning Monday.
A female member of the gang set up the victim and his elder cousin, just to give her numerous gangmates a reason to attack them.
The victim was identified Tuesday on records of the Baguio City Police Office as Michael Mendaros Palisoc, 19, a golf cabbie from Leyte, who resides here in Gabriela Silang. His companion was Vincent Clyde Menda-ros Dictado, 22.
According to the cousin, he and the victim were just walking along Quirino Highway at around 2:45 a.m. Monday when a motorcycle with three persons on board passed them and stopped several meters ahead.
But after a male and female passenger got off, the driver sped off on his vehicle, just as his male passenger suddenly disappeared from sight.
This was when the female passenger asked them, "What did you say? I didn't become a gangster just to be insulted."
Dictado said although they were surprised by the accusation, they chose to ignore what she said and just walked on.
But when the young woman continued to shout after them, her co-passenger suddenly appeared out of nowhere and started to punch the victim.
Although Dictado wanted to aid his cousin, a large group of gangsters arrived and started to attack them, mauling the victim and prompting Dictado to run away.
While Dictado tried to seek the assistance of security guards in nearby establishments, this proved futile and forced him to seek help further at BCPO Station 7.
When he returned to the crime scene with responding policemen, his cousin and the numerous youth gang members were nowhere in sight anymore.
They found out later that the victim was rushed by a concerned citizen to the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center emergency room, where he was treated for stab wounds on his left and right flanks.
BCPO Station 7 chief Engelbert Soriano said the case is still undergoing a follow-up investigation. (ENO)
