Jul 14, 2008 9:55 pm US/Pacific
Gang Members Stab Innocent Man, Then Apologize
MODESTO (CBS13/AP) ―
Modesto police say that four men broke into a house, stabbed and beat a man, only to apologize when they realized they attacked the wrong guy.
"I heard a person saying, 'He's in the house,'" said roommate Isabel Vasquez.
Isabel woke up, grabbed a pole and rushed into her living room on West Whitmore Avenue, only to see three men pummeling her roommate. One of the attackers told her the man had broken the windows in their car.
But the attackers quickly realized they had the wrong man. That's when they tried to help.
"He goes, 'Turn around, I want to see your back,'" Isabel said. "He says, 'My friend stabbed you.'"
The man suffered a deep stab wound, and to Isabel's surprise, the attackers offered him a ride to the hospital, saying, "Oh man, I'm sorry."
The 33-year-old victim of Monday's attack is in serious condition at a Modesto hospital with a cut across his left eyebrow and stab wounds to his upper back.
The four men didn't stick around, but they did offer Isabel another apology. "He hugged me," Isabel said.
"Apologies for senseless, cowardly gang acts mean nothing," said Sgt. Craig Gundlach of the Modesto Police Department.
Investigators believe the four men later are Norteno gang members. They fled in a gray car with no windows.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
