Two known Carson City gang members have been arrested after allegedly beating a man who had tried to defend his sister from a rash of annoying phone calls made to her while she was working.
In statements made by the victim and his sister, the problem began on Friday when one of the 18th Street gang members, identified as Jaimi Ponce, 19, kept calling a fast-food restaurant, wanting to speak with the woman. When the victim, who also worked at the restaurant told the man to stop calling, Ponce began yelling at him on the phone, according to the arrest report.
At the end of the victim's shift, he exited the restaurant, where Ponce allegedly approached him, grabbed him by his shirt, and began beating him with closed fists, while the another suspect, identified by authorities as 26-year-old Alberto Lepe of Dayton, came from behind and began to kick and punch the victim to the point where he began to lose consciousness, according to the arrest report.
The victim's sister, who was inside the restaurant, heard a car alarm go off outside, and went outside to see that her brother was on the ground bleeding. She told the men to stop hurting her brother and that she was calling the police. The men got into a grey Trailblazer and fled the scene, according to the arrest report. A ball cap belonging to one of the suspect's was found on the scene, identified by the woman because she gave it to him.
The victim was taken to the hospital by friends after sustaining multiple cuts, abrasions a fractured nose and a possible concussion. The victim, at first, declined to identify the men to authorities, because he was in fear of being targeted and possibly killed, according to the arrest report. The man stated after leaving the hospital that he wanted to file a report and did so at the Carson City Sheriff's Office.
Later Friday night officers arrived in the 1400 block of Camille Drive looking for the suspects. A woman and her mother let deputies inside the home, where the men and two others were sitting on a sofa and drinking alcohol. As a deputy identified himself, one of the four men, also a known 18th Street gang member, ran from the house.
The suspects were arrested and taken to jail. Both men replied "no" when asked if they wished to speak about the incident, after they had been read their Miranda rights. Each face felony charges of battery with substantial bodily harm. Bail for the men has been set at $15,000 each.