It’s not uncommon for high school students to start dating and having relationships. This can lead to hurt feelings and, at times, even major conflicts among teenagers. Even though they’re young and can be very impulsive, we always hope our young people will make smart choices and try to work through their issues, and ultimately learn from them. In Austin, Texas, however, one such situation escalated and turned violent. A group of teenagers allegedly lured a former classmate to a garage where they mercilessly beat him because of a dispute about a girl.
The incident reportedly occurred in February.
According to court documents obtained by KLTV, Jose Rojas-Alvarado, Oscar Armando Santiago-Martinez, Angel Lemus-Perez, and Carlos Roberto Oliva-Villeda, all 17, planned to attack the unnamed victim prior to the February 19, 2026, assault. The victim reportedly went to a gas station across the street from Del Valle High School with three classmates. From there, the suspects allegedly took the victim to a home on Farm to Market Road 969, where the final suspect was waiting.
The victim took a horrific beating.
The victim told the Travis County Sheriff’s Office that when they got to the garage, one of the assailants held a gun to his head while the others bound his hands and feet and covered his mouth with duct tape, KLTV reported. He alleged the teens beat him with an aluminum bat and a walking cane. They burned him, made him drink alcohol, and threatened death if he told the police.
The teen victim spoke up.
The suspects dropped off the victim at a third location and left him there. The extremely brave teenager made his way to a bus stop and then filed a police report. Per court documents, the teenager had extensive injuries that matched his story. Police arrested Rojas-Alvarado, Armando Santiago-Martinez, Lemus-Perez, and Oliva-Villeda, according to People. They all face charges of aggravated kidnapping with a deadly weapon and engaging in organized crime.
Students could not believe what happened.
Del Valle High student J’Kaideon Mitchell told KLTV the entire situation shocked him.
“I thought it was insane, especially at our school,” Mitchell told the news outlet. “It’s just crazy how strong that person would have to be to report it and just stay alive, honestly.”
But it wasn’t just the student who is having difficulty with what happened. He said the mood at school changed completely after the teenagers’ arrests.
“Everyone’s pretty spooked… Everyone’s been like, ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe this is happening,’” Mitchell told KLTV.
The school district issued a statement emphasizing safety.
The Del Valle Independent School District shared a statement about the alleged beating with People.
“Del Valle ISD is aware of the reports of an off-campus incident that resulted in the arrests of former DVISD students. The incident is being actively investigated by the Travis County Sheriff’s Office. The district does not have further information at this time,” they continued, the district shared.
School officials emphasized a commitment to school safety. “The safety of our students and staff is our top priority, and we will continue to monitor this incident,” the statement continued. “We will always communicate with the school community when there are impacts to the school environment.”
The victim’s exact status remains unclear, but it sounds like he will be OK. We wonder what the victim did that made these kids think they needed to beat him in such a violent way, though we can’t imagine it justifies this kind of assault. They face up to 99 years in prison because of jealousy. Ridiculous.
