Willow Glen Resident

News

Fight near Schallenberger results in one felony arrest

By Laura Rheinheimer

Alexander Stark, 18, of San Jose, was arrested on charges of battery with serious injury, after two teenagers were assaulted July 27 at Lansford Avenue and Avalon Drive in Willow Glen.

According to San Jose Police Department spokeswoman Gina Tepoorten, two groups of youths got into an altercation around 8:45 p.m. near Schallenberger School.

According to police, Stark hit a 16-year-old girl in the face. She was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital complaining of severe pain. The left side of her face was swollen, and her nose was bleeding. The girl underwent more than four hours of reconstructive surgery at Stanford Hospital on Aug. 4, according to her father. The other teenager, a 15-year-old boy, was knocked off his bicycle but did not sustain any serious injuries.

The incident began when three teenagers, one female and two males, were drinking alcohol outside of Schallenberger School around 7:15 p.m., according to police. Another group of teenagers--two males and two females--showed up at the school to meet a friend, the 16-year-old girl, before going out to dinner.

A 15-year-old boy from the dinner party group recognized a girl with the other teenagers. She appeared to be crying, and he went over to console her, according to the parent of one of the victims.

A 16-year-old boy from the drinking group objected to the interaction and, when the group left, he called his friend, Stark.

The dinner group passed back through the school an hour later. Stark and the 16-year-old boy followed the group and confronted them a few blocks from the school.

According to police, Stark knocked the 15-year-old boy off a bicycle, and the 16-year-old girl became upset and intervened. She kicked Stark, according to police, and Stark turned around and swung at her, hitting her in the face. Stark and his companion fled the scene.

San Jose police received a phone call from the parents of the injured teenagers, and after talking to witnesses, officers arrested Stark at his Berkshire Drive home.

The girl's injuries included multiple fractures, a shattered eye socket and impaired vision, according to her father.

Police released the 16-year-old who was with Stark into the custody of his mother, and the district attorney is reviewing the case to decide whether to file charges.