Manuel Ortega Arrested in Connection with Richmond High School Gang Rape
Manuel Ortega, 19, is one of two suspects who have been arrested in the case of a brutal gang rape that happened outside a homecoming dance on Saturday at Richmond High School in Oakland, California. Ortega is not a student at the school, but both the victim and the other suspect arrested are students under the age of 18.
Manuel Ortega (From mercurynews.com)
The crime took place after the victim, 15, left the school's homecoming dance at about 9:30 p.m. to meet her father, who was going to give her a ride home. Instead, police say the girl was invited to join a small group drinking and hanging out in a secluded courtyard behind a fence. The girl then walked to a gate and walked back to join the group. When she arrived she drank a large amount of hard liquor and fell over. That's when the assault began, according to Lt. Mark Gagan, a patrol supervisor in the city's Northern Policing District.
Gagan said the girl was raped by as many as 7 assailants, and no one in the group of 12 to 15 people did anything to stop it. In fact, police say some people laughed, took photos and even joined in on beating, robbing and raping the semi-conscious teen.
The courtyard where the assault happened. (Photo by mercurynews.com)
"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," Gagan said. "What makes it even more disturbing is the presence of others. People came by, saw what was happening, and failed to report it."
Someone who heard rumors about the incident finally called police, who checked out the tip and broke up the horrific crime, arresting Ortega as he fled the scene. Paramedics flew the girl to a regional trauma center, where she stabalized that night.
Manuel Ortega (From mercurynews.com)The crime took place after the victim, 15, left the school's homecoming dance at about 9:30 p.m. to meet her father, who was going to give her a ride home. Instead, police say the girl was invited to join a small group drinking and hanging out in a secluded courtyard behind a fence. The girl then walked to a gate and walked back to join the group. When she arrived she drank a large amount of hard liquor and fell over. That's when the assault began, according to Lt. Mark Gagan, a patrol supervisor in the city's Northern Policing District.
Gagan said the girl was raped by as many as 7 assailants, and no one in the group of 12 to 15 people did anything to stop it. In fact, police say some people laughed, took photos and even joined in on beating, robbing and raping the semi-conscious teen.
The courtyard where the assault happened. (Photo by mercurynews.com)"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," Gagan said. "What makes it even more disturbing is the presence of others. People came by, saw what was happening, and failed to report it."
Someone who heard rumors about the incident finally called police, who checked out the tip and broke up the horrific crime, arresting Ortega as he fled the scene. Paramedics flew the girl to a regional trauma center, where she stabalized that night.
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