Novato Advance
A Go Fund Me account set up to help a 16-year-old knifed by suspected gang members at a Novato elementary school has raised almost $43,000 as of the middle of last week. One anonymous donation was made in the amount of $10,000.
The fund appeal from the teen’s mom reads:
On Oct. 24, my 16-year-old son, Gonzalo Mendieta Santana, was attacked and brutally assaulted outside a Novato Elementary School. He suffered multiple severe injuries and was checked into the ICU the same night. He has been in critical condition & intensive care ever since. He has had numerous surgeries already and is scheduled to have more while struggling with ongoing severe medical complications due to the gravity of his injuries. While we have seen some good days and are hopeful for more, it will be a long road ahead. This event has been an emotionally and financially exhausting tragedy. We are asking our community to help gather funds for Gonzalo’s recovery to help relieve some of the financial hardship during this time and provide access to resources to help him return to his everyday life someday.
The web address for Santana’s relief fund is:
The incident sent shivers through Novato public school parents and the wider community.
Novato Police received a call from school staff reporting a group of teenagers causing a disturbance at Lynwood School after school hours. There were no students on campus at the time and school was closed for the day. There were NUSD staff members on-site, who were working at the school after hours. Officers arrived at the scene and found a critically injured 16-year-old male in the parking lot, suffering from multiple stab wounds.
Novato Police investigators conducted extensive follow up investigation of this case which included interviews with dozens of witnesses, examination of video surveillance and evidence collected at the scene of the stabbing.
The Novato Police Investigations Division led an operation to apprehend five juveniles and one adult, who were identified as being responsible for this attack. This included three 13-year-olds and two 15-year-olds. All suspects were determined to be residents of Novato. The juvenile suspects in this case have been charged with Attempted Murder and are in custody at the Marin County Juvenile Hall.
Additionally, Investigators identified one adult, 19-year-old Emerson Gonzalez Ordonez, who was contacted and arrested this morning in Novato. He was booked into the Marin County Jail for suspicion of conspiracy to commit a crime and aiding/abetting a felonious act.
Subsequent to these arrests, Novato Police Investigators obtained and served multiple search warrants at residences within Novato to collect additional evidence in this investigation.
Police in a press release said “Incidents like this are uncommon in Novato and the Novato Police Department certainly understands the community’s concerns and fears when something like this happens. We remain committed to keeping our community safe for all our residents.”
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