San Pedro Resident Is Victim of Alleged Hate Crime
Aron Castillo
The victim of a vicious beat down on the island of San Pedro, following a minor traffic mishap, is speaking out tonight. Aron Castillo took to his Instagram page over the last twenty-four hours to recount his traumatic encounter with three men on the island who allegedly attacked him in a fit of rage and left him with visible injuries to the face and body. Since his social media posts, persons from across the country have been sending their regards and support for Castillo. But, how did a fender-bender lead to such a horrific attack? Some may say it’s road rage, but many are calling it a hate crime. Castillo is a member of the LGBTQ community, and according to surveillance footage, the accident between the golf cart he was driving and that of his alleged perpetrators was not even his fault. News Five’s Paul Lopez has the story.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
This is the moment that the golf cart Aron Castillo was driving was rear-ended. That incident led to a vicious beat down and him sustaining multiple injuries. The alleged perpetrators are three passengers who were on the golf cart that is reportedly at fault. We spoke with Aron Castillo about what transpired.
Aron Castillo
Aron Castillo, Victim of Attack
“It was me, my manager and co-worker. We have a company golf cart so I asked her if I could quickly borrow it so I could run some errands because I have some last minute shopping to do. So, I dropped her off and started doing my errands when I found myself south of San Pedro looking for strawberries. I was on my way back when I saw a coworker of my mom and offered her a ride. From there we proceeded to come back into town while by L C Distributors I was rear ended. I have this video that clearly shows they ran right into me.”
Both vehicles pulled over following the incident and, according Castillo, that was when the men began accusing him of being in the wrong. The situation quickly escalated into a verbal altercation.
Aron Castillo
“We keep going back and forth when I told him if he mih only brace the golf cart the golf it would be broken when he wah mek a comment and say what I know about brace batty-man. I could see the machismo in them. I could see that they never liked that I was standing up for myself; I had a voice so I knew that irritated them. They came up to my space so yes I did push them to say get out of my space we don’t need to do this, so I think that had them riled up.”
Castillo says he proceeded to the San Pedro Police Station to make a formal report, but due to time constraints and other commitments that he had to fulfill, he informed the officers that he would return promptly to file a report. But, unfortunately for Castillo, while on his way home, he came across the same trio. They were now even more incensed than they were at the scene of the mishap.
Aron Castillo
“Deh look like deh mih the hunt for me, cause the minute they laid eyes on me, eena my head, dah like we got you. We end up eena this chase that they then overtook my car, parked the gulf cart for block the street I am not able to pass. In this moment I asked what am I going to do? I try to floor my golf cart and fly pass but that is when he drag me off my golf cart. In that moment I only remember punches, I am on the ground trying to defend myself. People mih deh around, but nobody wants to intervene. It is something I have never experienced in my life. It has me traumatized still.”
Castillo says he managed to make his way back to his golf cart and began driving home with the men still in pursuit. He says that while in front of his home, the suspects attacked him once again and that they were eventually warded off by a neighbor with a license firearm. Castillo told us that while he is not trying to make it about his sexual preference; he strongly believes that his outspokenness as a gay man under the circumstances at the scene of the traffic incident turned a fender bender into a vicious beat down.
Aron Castillo
“It was a factor. I am not going to dwell on it and say it was the full purpose but I do think that upset them. They never like that a homosexual man have a voice and stood up for himself. I nuh the try throw sexuality in, that is a personal preference. That is something I nuh have to give explanation about to people. That is private. But for some people that is the first thing they want pin point. So, there an then I cut that when they bring it up. I said no, we nuh wah do this.”
Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.
