Dallas Family Seeks Justice In Spring Break Beating Of Student
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - It was relentless and brutal, and it was all captured on cell-phone video.
Derek Madrigal of Dallas is recovering in a hospital in Harlingen after he was stabbed nine times and beaten with coolers. The 21-year-old student at Brookhaven College was on spring break in South Padre Island when he was attacked by a vicious mob.
Madrigal's friend, Gaby, witnessed the bloody beating. "I guess one of them on their way to hit Derek hit me in the face," explained Gaby. "The next thing I see is his [Madrigal's] feet over my head and they're crowd surfing him into the middle of the crowd," added the 20-year-old.
Gaby, who does not want her last name to appear in this article, says the beating was hard to watch. "A woman's scream is the worst and when you hear about 50 of them at once, you just know something bad is happening. You could hear people yelling, he's done for, he's done for," she recalled.
Gaby says at least eight men stabbed and beat Madrigal. So far, police have arrested only one person. 33-year-old Michael Rangel is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Derek's older brother, Richard Madrigal says his parents have yet to see the cell-phone video of the beating. "I have a lot of anger and a lot of disbelief that people would just keep beating someone to the point that they're unconscious, said Richard.
Meanwhile a Facebook page called "Justice For Derek Madrigal" has been set up in hopes that the remaining attackers will be arrested.
Friends and family say Madrigal or "DJ" as he likes to be called is making progress. DJ ate his first meal since the attack and doctors plan to move him out of ICU by Friday.
