A 16-year-old from San Leandro and a 17-year-old from San Ramon were attacked by two masked assailants while visiting a friend at a Pleasanton apartment complex on Labor Day, leaving one teen with multiple lacerations to his arm. Pleasanton police say detectives do not believe the attack was random, and they are still trying to determine why the teens were targeted.
According to Pleasanton Weekly, officers responded around 5:44 p.m. on Labor Day to the eaves Pleasanton apartments in the 3600 block of Andrews Drive after a girl called 911 to report that two of her male friends had been attacked. The two teens were visiting a friend who lives at the complex when two unidentified assailants approached the girl and the boys. The eaves Pleasanton is a 456-unit residential community built in 1988 and operated by AvalonBay Communities, according to Apartment Finder.
The attackers wore medical masks during the altercation and were described as two white males with short hair, between the ages of 17 and 18, per the same report. Officers rendered medical aid at the scene before transporting the teen with multiple cuts to Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley; he was listed in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries. The other victim sustained only minor injuries and did not require medical transportation.
Detectives Suspect the Ambush Was Targeted
Pleasanton Police Department Lt. Brandon Stocking said detectives are investigating a possible motive and do not believe the attack was random, the outlet's report notes. Stocking said the victims were likely targeted for reasons still to be determined. Neither victim reported seeing a knife or other weapon during the altercation, though the lacerations to the one teen's arm were likely caused by a knife or other edged weapon.
Both unidentified assailants fled the scene after the attack, and detectives and crime scene investigators responded to process the area. The Pleasanton Police Department continues its investigation and is asking anyone with information about the incident to come forward.
According to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, youths are more likely to witness assault in their communities than to be exposed to a shooting, 28 percent compared with 8 percent.
The Pleasanton Attack
The attack occurred in Pleasanton. The article also references Alameda County.
The injured teen was treated at Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley.
Potential Charges Under California Law
If suspects are identified and charged, California law offers prosecutors several paths depending on what investigators determine about the weapon and injuries involved. Assault with a deadly weapon other than a firearm under Penal Code Section 245(a)(1) is a wobbler offense punishable by two to four years in state prison and fines up to $10,000, with possible consecutive enhancements of three to six years under Penal Code Section 12022.7 if great bodily injury is inflicted, according to the Goldstein Law Group. Separately, battery causing serious bodily injury under Penal Code Section 243(d) is punishable as a felony by up to four years in state prison, per the Shouse Law Group.
Pleasanton Coverage
The article also discusses the Pleasanton incident.
Anyone with information about the Labor Day attack is asked to contact the Pleasanton Police Department at (925) 931-5100. The number is provided for incident information. The city's annual report is also cited in the article.
