Fundraiser Held In San Pedro For Badly-Beaten High School Baseball Player
SAN PEDRO (CBSLA.com) — A fundraiser was held Sunday for a badly-beaten high school baseball player allegedly attacked by strangers as part of a gang initiation.
Evan Jiminez. 15, has been in the hospital for ten days.
CBS2's Adrianna Weingold spoke to his family at the fundraiser.
There was a huge show of support for the young baseball player. His family says he's doing much better but still has about a year of recovery ahead of him.
Family and friends packed Godmother's Saloon in San Pedro, location of the fundraiser titled "Justice For Evan."
"We're hoping that there's no long term damage other than emotional damage, there's definitely going to be some serious issues there," said Courtney Steinhoff, Evan's aunt.
Today was the first time Evan's mother Charlene has left his side since the brutal attack.
"The doctors told me that he had about five more minutes to live, and so he wouldn't have made it if he waited for an ambulance," said Charlene Douthit.
Evan is still in the hospital and will be for some time. He's partially sedated and now breathing on his own.
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"I think he still thinks they're trying to beat on him and stuff because he wakes up and says, get off me, and stuff like that," says Evan's grandfather, Charle Steinhoff.
Charlene also took time to thank the three young girls who saw Evan lying bloody and helpless in the alley that night. They picked him up, put him in their car and drove him to the hospital. Jazmine Rivas lost her best friend a while back and was determined to save Evan.
"When I seen his face, honestly, it's hard, it's my sisters best friend and I never wanted her to feel how I felt," said Rivas.
Evan's mother says the only place her son says he wants to be right now is back on the baseball field.