Knife Attack in Paseo de la Presa

[Heather]

Sorry to have to report this but need to let all know that my 6'7" visiting son and a friend were attacked last Sunday night (after the buses had finished) at the beginning of Paseo de la Presa. Three men with knives surrounded them demanding everything: my son's phone, wallet, camera, ring, hooded top, hat etc; and worse still his friend's backpack, phone, camera, and laptop complete with irreplacable thesis preparation. Worse than this she was also pushed into the dark and bruised, assaulted and violated. The police and other authorities are involved, and we are told because this is not the first time, the assault is being taken seriously and patrols increased.

I mention this so that you can beware of walking at night with anything valuable, and warn any young people who may move around at night carrying computers. The attackers do not just target foreigners. Mexican young people have also been their victims.

[Doyle Phillips]

So sorry to hear of this Heather, especially having just seen you all yesterday at lunch time. I do hope the friend was not hurt too badly. I assume the attackers were young punks.

[yanajon]

So Sorry to hear of this.
When you mention "the beginning of Paseo de La Presa" are you referring to the Embajadoras end of the street or the presa end. I'm just curious as I live very near the Embajadoris end and have many guests coming and going nightly from the B&B that we manage.

[Heather]

The Embajadoras end on the side opposite the basketball courts.

[raquelita]

Sorry to have to report this but need to let all know that my 6'7" visiting son and a friend were attacked last Sunday night (after the buses had finished) at the beginning of Paseo de la Presa. Three men with knives surrounded them demanding everything: my son's phone, wallet, camera, ring, hooded top, hat etc; and worse still his friend's backpack, phone, camera, and laptop complete with irreplacable thesis preparation. Worse than this she was also pushed into the dark and bruised, assaulted and violated. The police and other authorities are involved, and we are told because this is not the first time, the assault is being taken seriously and patrols increased.

I mention this so that you can beware of walking at night with anything valuable, and warn any young people who may move around at night carrying computers. The attackers do not just target foreigners. Mexican young people have also been their victims.

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Heather, Thank you for reporting the experience of your son and his friend, unpleasant as it was. I hope you will add the hour this happened.

A friend and I were assaulted by a pair of young men with real or model pistols in front of CEDAJ on Paseo de la Presa two years ago after midnight during the Film Festival. I think they followed us from the intersection where Paseo de la Presa begins. I had very little with me but I suffered pistol blows on the head when I didn't hand over my purse immediately. Her losses were similar to the ones you report.

About nine months ago I was staked out by someone on Tepehuajes, a lane that feeds into Paseo de la Presa, and treated the way your son's friend was, this time at 8:30pm, not late at all but dark in December. Apparently the perpetrator was angry when he found only four pesos in my coin purse because within a minute he climbed up from the lane and assaulted me again. I have heard of at least two other incidents along Paseo de la Presa.

I reported both incidents at the appropriate office on Calle Alhondiga, anyone along the street can explain where to go. The second time I was referred to an office a few doors closer to the Alhondiga that specializes in sexual crimes where a detailed written report was taken.

I also called the newspaper El Correo, told a reporter about the poor lighting for Tepehuajes and she published a detailed article, an additional way of getting the word out.

The only silver lining in your account is that apparently the powers that be do track the statistics and even act on them. If your son is still here, I encourage him to file a report.

This is not about whether Mexico is more dangerous than other places but is a warning about a specific neighborhood delightful in the daytime but risky after dark.

[Aztecglitterbelle]

Oh, Heather! Having a child come to visit, as mine just did, is like a dream come true. To have his trip touched by such a tragedy will be hard for him to get over, not to mention worry about his parents. Ask him for me not to be disheartened.

[DML]

a couple of weeks ago my zumba instructor was also assaulted at knife point at the Embajadores end of the Presa. he said it was 2 young kids with a knife. They got his wallet and he got some stitches in his arm. He said his attack was early...around 8pm. he was alone on a callejon just off the Presa.

[colleen]

carrying one of these could of helped locate the criminals.

When I read your first ad I wondered just how this was going to be useful except for the fact that if my car was stolen, I guess I'd at least know where it went. But just how would this help locate the criminals? I don't think they'd sit still long enuf to have this in any way attached to them or their clothing or whatever.

I thought there was another attack and then that Heather had been involved in it. I wish you hadn't posted your ad at the end of this thread from September.