Teen Attacked For Not Being A Gang Member

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

Authorities continue to search for the two individuals who savagely attacked a 15-year-old boy and left him lying unconscious in an alley in Los Angeles simply for not belonging to his gang.

According to Sgt. Ricky Osburn, of the Lomita station of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, last Thursday Evan Jiménez was returning to his home after having played with the baseball team of his school when two subjects confronted him. Perhaps sensing some kind of problem, he commented that he did not belong to any gang. Then one of them smashed a bottle of whiskey to his head, and then they both beat him up so horribly that they left him fighting for his life.

The Los Angeles Times reported that when the young man was taken to the hospital, he had brain swelling and fractures of the jaw and face, so he had to be heavily sedated the first few days. Fortunately last Monday, the artificial respirator he had was removed and he regained consciousness. Right now his condition is "stable, but serious".

Jiménez has been described by family friends as an educated, sports-loving young high school student who plays the pitching position on his school's ball team.

At the moment, investigations indicate that the boy may have been collateral damage from an act of gang initiation, since the street he was walking on is marked with graffiti that indicates that this area belongs to a gang called Rancho San Pedro. He was just "in the wrong place, at the wrong time," said Sergeant Osburn.

Investigators say that due to Jiménez's condition, he has not yet been able to give them a description of his assailants, but some 75 people have called with information about the case.

Tammy Meyers, a family friend, created a GoFundMe page so her mother can pay for the young man's medical expenses.