San Benito teenagers 17-year-old Robert John Anthony Martinez and 18-year-old Joe Daniel Romero have been accused of beating another teen with baseball bats. (San Benito Police Department photos)
By FRANCISCO E. JIMENEZ
Staff Writer
reporter@sbnewspaper.com
Two San Benito teenagers have been arrested for allegedly assaulting another teen with baseball bats.
San Benito police officers were dispatched to a local convenience store on the 300 block of South Sam Houston Boulevard on the afternoon of Saturday, May 28 in reference to a possible fight.
Upon arrival at the scene, officers made contact with three males, two of whom were believed to be the suspects, and the victim. The victim, identified as 17-year-old Rodulfo Pineda, Jr., was observed to be on the ground bleeding, according to a press release.
“It was the guys who got arrested who initiated the fight. It’s an ongoing feud that they’ve been having with each other. It’s like a personal thing. The suspects were pumping gas; the victim was parked on the corner of Sam Houston and Landrum. They yelled to him, that’s when the guy turned around and walked to the gas pumps, and that’s when the fight started,” said Detective Arturo Flores, Jr. of the San Benito Police Department (SBPD).
The suspects, who were identified as 17-year-old Robert John Anthony Martinez and 18-year-old Joe Daniel Romero, allegedly used “a small wooden mini bat Louisville Slugger and a aluminum Easton bat” to assault the victim.
“The two suspects have gang affiliations, and the victim has had gang affiliation,” said Flores. “I just know that they have been affiliated with gangs before. I don’t know who their representing right now, or if they’re representing anybody.”
Pineda was transported to Valley Baptist Medical Center in Harlingen for injuries to his head but has since been released, according to the detective.
Martinez and Romero were arraigned Sunday, May 29 by Judge Adolfo Cordova and charged with aggravated assault with a weapon. Their bonds were set at $25,000 each and remain incarcerated at the Carrizales-Rucker Detention Center in Olmito.
To see this story in print, pick up a copy of the June 1 edition of the San Benito News. Or view our E-Edition by clicking here.
2 comments
thats how da sur 13 do it in san bene
Two little thugs…Whats up with the eyebrows. Is that the new gangster look in San Benito.