A police officer was almost beaten to death in Camalote. Last night after 6:00 PC Mark Rodriguez was at Serenita Bar when two men attacked and viciously beat him. They left him thrown on the ground, bloody and unconscious. Reports are that the young men thought that Rodriguez had called the cops on them for smoking weed. According to Rodriguez's wife, it was a big misunderstanding, one that has her husband of 14 years, clinging to life at the KHMH.
Reporter
"What was the story? What did he tell you happened?"
Cryta Zelaya, Common Law wife
"He doesn't know anything, all he knows is that he went to deal with the lady at the bar, because he has cases with her and she called him for him to go check about a case so it can be settled and that was it. I heard 2 young boys were smoking weed and they were accusing him, that is what the people at the bar were telling me, that they were accusing him of calling police on them because they were smoking weed and that was it, they hit him with a chair and that is what they told me and they beat him on the ground and assaulted him and stabbed him with a knife or something they had and that is what caused all the injury to his body and his mandible is broken."
"The guys probably thought that when he sent a text, it was for police but it wasn't police, he sent a text to me."
Jules Vasquez, 7News
"When you saw that photograph, even me , I don't even know the guy and it is appalling to see a law enforcement officer , to see any human being like that, but to see a law enforcement officer with his belt all the way up , so savagely beaten, what was your emotional reaction when you saw it?"
Cryta Zelaya, Common Law wife
"I don't know what to say, it is unfair because you do not hit someone in the head and in the back of the head and leave them there and beat them unconsciously, you do not do that to somebody."
"It looks like police officers don't have any rights now, nobody will respect their uniform they don't respect nothing."
Police have the 2 men detained and they will be taken to court tomorrow. Rodriguez's wife told us that he does not remember exactly what happened. Doctors are monitoring Rodriguez's condition and will do a catscan among other tests. Police have both men.
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