A teenager physically fighting with a woman in a City Heights alley soon found himself on the defensive when another man stepped in and attacked him with a baseball bat.
San Diego police said the 18-year-old man was beaten unconscious and sent to a nearby hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Beatriz Rivera, 19, heard pounding outside her home near Dwight Street and Fairmont Avenue Monday night.
Once outside, she found a former roommate had knocked over some plants and was jumping on a van parked in a carport.
Then, she says, he came at her and started punching her.
“He just starts swinging,” she said. “I'm trying to look at him and all I can see him do is smile.”
Rivera said her former roommate threw her against the parked van and kept “socking” her.
Officers said when Rivera's current roommate saw what was happening outside the home, he decided to take matters into his own hands.
When police arrived, the ex-roommate was on the ground, suffering from major injuries to the head. He was also intoxicated, officers said.
After initial treatment on scene, paramedics loaded him in an ambulance and rushed him to Scripps Mercy Hospital. He was initially listed with life-threatening injuries but officer updated his prognosis hours later saying it appears the teenager will survive his injuries.
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If Rivera decides to pursue charges, the former roommate may be charged with misdemeanor battery charges in the incident.
The current roommate - the man who intervened and wielded the bat - was questioned by police. Investigators told NBC 7 they are not pursuing charges against him at this time.
