Oct 27, 2009 1:13 pm US/Pacific
2 Arrested In Richmond HS Gang Rape
RICHMOND (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) ―
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19-year-old suspect Manuel Ortega
Richmond PD
Police believed 25 or more people may have been present when a 15-year-old girl was beaten and gang-raped outside her Richmond High School homecoming dance. None of the bystanders reported the crime.
Two suspects were in custody for their alleged role in the assault, but police said as many as six other men raped the girl over a two-hour period Saturday night outside the school.
"This is just a horrific crime," Richmond police Lt. Mark Gagan said. "She was raped, beaten, robbed and dehumanized by several suspects who were obviously OK enough with it to behave that way in each other's presence."
"What makes it even more disturbing is the presence of others," Gagan said on Monday. "People came by, saw what was happening and failed to report it."
Police sources told CBS 5 that some of the bystanders laughed as the attack unfolded while others took photos with their cell phones.
The victim remained hospitalized Monday with non-life-threatening injuries. Her condition was upgraded to stable from critical, police said.
Manuel Ortega, 19, was arrested at the scene and was being held on $800,000 bail on suspicion of rape and robbery. He was not currently a student at the school, having left it two years ago.
Gagan said Monday afternoon that he was confident that police would be able to find out who else was involved in the attack and what roles they played.
On Monday evening, police detained and questioned at least two teenagers. One of those teenagers, a 15-year-old, was arrested and booked on suspicion of felony sexual assault.
Police said the girl left the dance around 9:30 p.m. and was walking to meet her father for a ride home when a classmate invited her to join a group drinking in the courtyard. The victim had consumed a large amount of alcohol when the assault began.
Officers responded around midnight when they received a tip about a possible assault on campus. They found the girl semi-conscious near a picnic table and saw several males running away.
Marin Trujillo, a spokesman for the West Contra Costa Unified School District, said there were four police officers and three school administrators monitoring the dance, but the assault happened away from the gym.
However, sources close to the investigation told CBS 5 that two campus security guards who would have typically patrolled the area where the attack occurred were sent home as of 9 p.m. on dance night because the school district didn't want to incur overtime.
Counselors were at the school on Monday to help students cope with the incident, but classes were still held, Trujillo said.
(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press and Bay City News contributed to this report.)
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