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San Ramon Police Arrest Four Youths In Connection With Saturday Morning Assault On Local Man

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Photo: File

From the San Ramon Police Department:

At 11:55pm on Friday, October 14th, San Ramon Police Officers were dispatched to the area of Walt Disney Elementary for a reported disturbance. While they were responding, the individual reporting the incident stated the subjects involved were now in front of his home and were in a physical altercation.

When officers arrived, they found a male victim (later identified as Casey Pletz) bleeding from numerous lacerations and injuries throughout his face and body. The victim stated he confronted several teenagers who were causing a disturbance on the school playground and on the access trail between Walt Disney Elementary and Pebble Place. While speaking with one of the individuals, the victim was struck in the head by one of the suspects. Multiple suspects began punching and kicking the victim and ultimately a suspect choked the victim until he lost consciousness. As a result of this attack, the victim suffered a broken nose, a fractured cheekbone, a bruised kidney, and numerous lacerations and bruising throughout his body.

San Ramon PD personnel began investigating this incident immediately and quickly identified several suspects. Over the past several days, San Ramon PD Detectives wrote numerous search and arrest warrants associated with this incident. On Tuesday morning, October 18th, a search warrant was served at the San Ramon home of 19 year old Jordan Manibusan. Manibusan was placed under arrest for violations of Penal Codes 245(a) – assault with a deadly weapon, and 243(d) – felony battery. Manibusan was booked at the County Jail in Martinez and is currently being held with a bail of $80,000.

Earlier this morning, San Ramon PD Detectives served three additional warrants associated with this incident. Zachary Kennedy, a 20-year-old resident of Danville, was arrested at his home and booked at the County Jail in Martinez for violations of Penal Codes 245(a) – assault with a deadly weapon, and 243(d) – felony battery. Kennedy is also being held with a bail of $80,000.

In addition to the suspects mentioned above, two 17-year-old juveniles (Both San Ramon residents) were taken into police custody at their homes this morning. Both juveniles were arrested for violations of Penal Codes 245(a) – assault with a deadly weapon, and 243(d) – felony battery. They are being held at the County Juvenile Hall Detention Facility in Martinez.

If you have any additional information regarding this incident please contact Detective L. Pelayo at lpelayo@sanramon.ca.gov.

END

 

According to a Facebook posting for Jordan Manibusan, the 19-year-old “… has been training in Jiu jitsu since he was 7 years old… His goal is to be a successful MMA fighter and win a Jiu-Jitsu black belt World title and some day be the face of his own fighting academy. Jordan has won multiple titles, some of the most recognizable being: 6 time NAGA Champion; expert division, 5 time Gold Medalist UBJJf Worlds, Two time IBJJf Gold Medalist Pan Ams, Two time Gracie Worlds Gold Medalist, and most recently Gold Medalist World BJJ Expo 2013.”

Editor’s Note: Since we posted news of the arrests in this case we have been deluged by comments expressing opinion both pro and con relative to these boys and how events unfolded that night. Some have suggested that the fight… or assault… was initiated because a girl part of the group that evening was “pushed.” We’re not sure, we weren’t there. But we are sure that threatening or violent language and derogatory comments will not be allowed here.

If you have input to share, and some of you sound as if you may, please do so in a civil and transparent manner. Thanks.

A GoFundMe account for Casey Pletz has been established by his neighbors.

44 COMMENTS

  1. So happy they got these guys. Really curious about the backstory here. Would like to think that this is an anomaly.

  2. Good news. I’m glad they were arrested, and I hope they throw the book at them. The bail should be higher. Let them sit in jail and think about what they’ve done.

  3. The one in Pleasanton and now this one. I’m surprised it doesn’t happen more often given the amount of partying that’s being done in public spaces and I’ll people I know object to the noise. What’s the condition of the person who was beaten?

  4. You’re all so blind to what really happened. Don’t make judgements when you don’t know the victims or oppressors.

    • Your comment bears a marked similarity to others we have gotten, Aly. We have reached out to the authors both online and off and invited them to proffer any substantive information they might have. The same invitation extends to you.

  5. There is no reasonable defense for this IMO but, as News24/680 noted, please enlighten us Stephanie.

  6. If it was a trained mma fighter he knew when to release the choke, he could’ve done more damage if he wanted.

  7. Unfortunately the Donald’s style of argument – blame the media, hint at bias that doesn’t exist, “I’m the only one who knows what really happened”, “you people should stop commenting on stuff you don’t know about because all I’m the only one who knows about it”, etc. has become an accepted tactic. If you have information to offer – do it. I’m listening.

    • So are we, Matthew. A reminder, since you raise the issue: this site is open to any and all who abide by our terms of service (no profanity, threats, etc.) and who have something to add to the conversation. Inflammatory or troll posts are discouraged. Carry on…

  8. I’d sure like to hear what that second neighbor – the one who came to the first neighbors aid – has to say about what happened out there that night. Has he been contacted?

  9. Truth is often obscured and rarely accurate by one side. My heart sincerely goes out to the victim, who seemed to have good intentons. We should first reach out to our police force who is there to protect and serve. I heard the teens he confronted were not the people who were initially causing the disturbance that prompted the victim to act. I also heard the victim was not jumped at first, but instead escalated the altercation with pushing the 19 year old. Further, they fought until the 19 year old subdued him with a choke hold. It was then that the rest of the teens jumped in with a frenzy. The 19 year old then turned the victim over to protect him from the frenzy while demanding his friends stop. As indicated above, he is familiar with jujitsu and probably knew the vulnerable state the man was in. This doesn’t excuse the 19 year old for his role in this. Nor does it excuse the victim from making intial contact. We as lawful, vigilant citizens must be careful confronting groups of people anywhere and at anytime. We can take photo’s, call the police, observe from a safe distance until officers arrive. I hope the victim fully recovers. And I hope we all learn a valuable lesson. Police may have called for back-up. We have to be safe. At least call the police for guidance. I truly feel for this victim, but his actions were reckless and if my source is correct, he created a terrible situation. Nobody deseve’s what happened to him, but based on what I heard, it could have been avoided.

  10. As a 911 caller and witness, I can honestly say I was there that night to witness this horrific crime. A lot of other neighbors that are witnesses and I are being careful about what we post. I’m sure you all understand that we need to make sure the police are able to do their job first and foremost, but a few things need to be clarified before they go any further. The victim did NOT know the perps. Our heroic neighbor that ran out (without knowing who was lying on the street unconscious being kicked and stomped on) definitely saved the victim from being hurt worse. We heard the foul language and yelling of this group all the way from the back of Walt Disney, down the path next to our house, to the street where Casey asked them to leave. Unless you were there that night to witness this crime, please refrain from posting speculations. If you were there, please share your info with SRPD.

  11. Tom raises a good question. Were police called before the homeowner took action that night? I’ve been there myself and others probably have to – you’re confronted by an ongoing situation with no relief in sight so you take action. Were police called first?

  12. Yes, the police were called 4 times (that I personally know of). First two times for the “noise disturbance” of kids hanging out partying behind Walt Disney. Later, the 2 911 calls that I know of (mine and neighbor closest to the fight) telling them that the noise had escalated into a fight moved us up on the priority list and they arrived about 10 minutes after the assault….that would’ve been too late to save the victim. The SRPD have done a great job catching the perps this week, but we definitely need more coverage for our city for things that are “less priority”. Unfortunately, the “less priority” turned out to be top priority in this case.

    • Well said, Pam. We know many neighbors in the 24/680 have found themselves in similar circumstances. Thanks for your input…

  13. If the police were called, you wait for the police to show up. Let the police handle it… period.

    “Noise disturbance” is something you can live with until the police arrive. Assault with a deadly weapon is a different story.

    I hope he recovers quickly.

  14. With all deference and respect to the previous poster I would have to say that while her reasoning is sound there are times when a “wait for the police” mindset is called for and other times when in the face of a constant disturbance it is not. Who among us has not given in to the urge to “give those people a piece of my mind?” I have learned from experience that if some form of corrective action – usually in the form of a polite request – is not given the partiers or next door midnight auto repair shop is only emboldened. Perhaps the resident took the only course of action open to him at the time. From information provided by someone who called that night, it would seem so.

  15. I believe if we don’t know the truth we should not speak on it. People make mistakes and that is part of the world we live in. One rule we should understand is that if you put your hands on someone expect the worse especially when you do not know the person. Now with that said protecting your self is a whole other topic. So who is rite. I only know part of the story but believe you should not take the law into your own hands. I must say I am impressed in how the young man protected the the man from the other teens after the situation. Violence is not the anwser ever. We all need more love and respect in the world.

  16. William, glad you only want “the truth” posted here. Did you see the “young man” roll over the victim to protect him? Because none of the witnesses did. We only saw him continuously attacking. To me, making a mistake is not choking a man until he’s unconscious and then kicking him and stomping on his head. When the victim came to, he remembers his head being kicked in different directions and not knowing what was happening. Can you imagine how that would feel? I would be traumatized for life. Did you see the victim put his hands on another person? Because none of the witnesses did. The only thing on your post that makes sense to me is that WE all need more love and respect in the world…100% agree.

  17. This is proving to be an interesting exercise in getting to the bottom of the truth in a local matter of importance to residents. I expected a certain amount of spin doctoring which we have seen, and now I think we’re getting certain elements of what really happened out there. It is a tough and unique situation in its own way because were a small town and lots of people know one another, but it would be really nice to have some transparency on this and other issues. I for one appreciate the attempt to get that here.

  18. I don’t care if the victim yelled obscenities and/or pushed one or more of the perps in an attempt to convey the seriousness of his displeasure with their rowdy conduct. If one of the perps responded with a single punch, that would be understandable. That would be an escalation, but not completely disproportionate response to being pushed. But it sounds like the MMA fellow was a coiled spring who lost control. Makes you wonder if drugs and/or alcohol were a factor here (victim or perps).

    It might well be a factor in sentencing that the perps were provoked a bit, but I find it implausible that the victim was the sustained aggressor in a 4:1 situation where the MMA kid surely demonstrated his skill and dominance within seconds.

    If I shove you, you can shove me back– and perhaps punch me once. That’s in the grey area of self-defense. But not choke me out and kick me in the head while unconscious. Let’s be sensible here.

    I’d be curious to know if any of the players here have prior records for assault. Anger management issues tend to crop up multiple times.

    • Discerning post, Chris, thanks. One kid had been trained in Jiu Jitsu and had aspirations to move into MMA – negligible distinction but one we’ll make.

  19. Zac Kennedy is a dear friend of mine and it tears me apart to see him portrayed as a Menace to Society and a Criminal Anyone that has known Zac personally knows he would never physcially assault someone without good reason. I myself, personally have irritated and provoked Zac numerous times on a multiplicity of occasions and he has never laid a hand on me. Zac is the owner and caretaker of a beautiful Pitbull not even a year old, Kodak will have to take turn staying with Zac’s friends now who are competeting for her presence. Zac is always generous and has paid for many of my meals, he is not cold hearted nor cold blooded as someone would have to do to commit an act such as this unjustified. I love Zac and will defend his reputation until the day I die.

  20. If Mr. Jiu Jitsu was the primary aggressor, then I suspect Zac and the two minors have a limited-time-offer to clear their names and get a lenient deal if they cooperate. If all four are wrongly accused, then my only hope is that the full truth comes out ASAP. That said, as I understand it, a third party came to the assistance of the victim while he was on the ground and still being attacked by someone. It would seem that (i) at least one of the four committed a serious crime and (ii) all four of them know which of them participated. New game of “Prisoner’s Dilemma” starting in 3, 2, 1…..

  21. The victim said he was being punched, and kicked. So that tells me more than one person was involved. Besides the jui what ever kid could of really did some damage, but he didn’t. Sounds to me all he did was choke him out. But none of us no do we? And we don’t no what the victim did to the youths..?…

  22. Seth, it sounds to you like all he did was choke him out? Based on what? What one person said they heard from another person earlier in this thread? The sentence right afterwards “But non of us no do we?” is certainly much more accurate. What we do have is at least two eye witnesses who said they saw 4 guys beating him to within a couple inches of his life. Did you read the damage that was done to him… yea a “jui what ever kid” could have really did some damage and it sounds like he did.

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