Police break up suspected gang fight

Three teens, two of them juveniles, were arrested in Mountain View on the evening of Aug. 12 for allegedly participating in a suspected brawl between rival gangs, a spokesman with the Mountain View Police Department said.

A 16-year-old and a 15-year-old — both from Mountain View — and a 19-year-old from San Jose were booked into juvenile hall and county jail for allegedly throwing bottles and stealing the tennis racket of a passerby during the fight, Sgt. Sean Thompson of the MVPD said.

According to statements of witnesses and video obtained from a witness, the 15-year-old was booked into jail for assault with a deadly weapon for throwing bottles at what may have been rival gang members, Thompson said. The 16-year-old allegedly stole a tennis racked from someone in the park and was attempting to use it as a weapon; he was booked for assault with a deadly weapon and robbery. The 19-year-old, identified as Eric Castro, was also accused of throwing bottles and contributing to the delinquency of minors for participating in a fight with the juveniles.

Thompson said that two groups of five began fighting around 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 12 in Castro Park. A witness told officers that the men appeared to be throwing up gang signs in the lead-up to the brawl.

When police arrived the men scattered and only the three were detained, Thompson said. The rest got away.

He said police aren’t positive at this point it was a gang fight, but that all signs pointed to it being a conflict between local branches of the California street gangs the Nortenos and the Surenos.