The 15-year-old son of Chamber of Deputies leader Luis Alfredo Pacheco was injured by a bullet to his left leg, at the hands of strangers who attempted to steal a cell phone, sneakers and the Honda 90 motorcycle being driven by his friend, 23-year-old “motoconchista” Leonardo Espinal. He is reportedly recovering satisfactorily in the Plaza de la Salud medical center.
The incident occurred at 10:40pm on Saturday, some 200 meters from Calle Ramon Caceres 228 of the Puerto Isabela (formerly Hoyo de Chulin slum) address where Pacheco lives with his mother and stepfather Teodoro Fernandez. After filling up with gasoline, the two young men were pursued by the four assailants on motorcycles along the Avenida Ortega y Gasset and Paseo de los Reyes Catolicos, up to Calle Ramon Caceres where they caught up with them and tried to commit the robbery. Fernandez explained that assaults are common in the low-income neighbourhood of Puerto Isabela. Magdaleno Torres, a resident of the barrio, explained how minors who use drugs are tempted by the Michael Jordan running shoes that cost RD$8,000 and commit these types of attacks. He said that there were no lights where the victims were traveling and that the assailants were parked on two grey passola-type motorcycles as they waited for their prey.
Alfredo Pacheco said that what happened to his son is part of the wave of delinquency that is affecting Dominican society.