Mob beats, burns to death 3 teens
A crowd of angry residents of San Juan Sacatepequez, Guatemala, beat and then burned to death three teenagers they believed were gang members collecting extortion money, police said.
“They grabbed them in the park and then dragged and beat them for about 10 blocks before burning them alive,” officer Elias Rodriguez said.
The youths, one 16 and two 17, went to San Juan Sacatepequez, just outside Guatemala City, from a nearby village to buy film, said Gonzalo Pirir, father of one them.
“My son didn’t do anything wrong or rob anyone,” Pirir said.
The slayings came two months after residents of the nearby town of Cerro Alto burned two other alleged delinquents to death.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
