El Paso, Texas: Five Chuco Tango Inmates Charged in Jail Annex Beating That Left Man Needing Surgery

Five inmates at the El Paso County Jail Annex face added charges of engaging in organized criminal activity after sheriff investigators tied them to an Oct. 23 beating that left a 33-year-old inmate with a fractured eye socket and injuries that required surgery, the El Paso Times reported on Thursday.

The suspects were identified by sheriff officials as Gabriel Manuel Ontiveros, 30, Leroy Anaya, 39, Santiago Carrillo, 31, David Mendoza Jr., 27, and Juan Rene Hernandez, 30. Investigators say the beating inside a cell room was allegedly committed by Chuco Tango gang members as discipline against one of their own members, according to a criminal complaint filed by a deputy and obtained by the Times.

Sheriff Oscar Ugarte said in a statement: "Violence within our facilities will not be tolerated. We will thoroughly investigate these incidents and pursue charges supported by the evidence to hold those responsible accountable."

What the camera recorded

The inmates were held in cell block 1130, which only houses confirmed Chuco Tango gang members. The complaint describes Chuco Tango as an El Paso based prison and street gang involved in drug dealing, violence and other crimes.

Investigators reviewed security camera footage. At 8:13 p.m. on Oct. 23, the footage shows the victim entering a cell room with four other inmates, allegedly identified as Ontiveros, Mendoza, Hernandez and Anaya, while Carrillo stood outside the room door blocking the view of detention officers, the affidavit stated. The footage allegedly showed inmates taking off their jumpsuits and throwing punches, though the actual assault was not visible. All of the inmates then walked out and the victim went directly to the showers.

A detention officer later noticed the seriously injured inmate. He was escorted to the jail clinic and then transported to a hospital. KTSM also reported that an inmate from the Jail Annex was admitted to a hospital for treatment of a fractured eye socket after a fight at the facility.

The injured man would not cooperate

A doctor said the victim had a right orbital fracture, both eye sockets were bruised and required surgery, the affidavit stated. In a meeting recorded on body camera video, a deputy met the injured man at the hospital, where both of his eyes were swollen dark purple and almost shut. Asked if he had given consent, he replied, "Yes, well I knew what it was." Asked if he was in pain, he replied, "yes, look at my face."

The complaint says the victim claimed he got into a one-on-one fight, refused to provide information, did not want to file charges and repeatedly asked a jail sergeant not to look into the incident. The deputy investigator attempted to interview all five suspects, noting for each man that he did not wish to speak.

A murder case already pending

One of the alleged attackers, Ontiveros, is jailed awaiting trial on a murder charge in a Jan. 25 fatal shooting in the living room of his ex-girlfriend's apartment on Monte Alto Road in Socorro. He is accused of shooting Eduardo Isaias Contreras, 35, multiple times after Contreras gave Ontiveros' ex-girlfriend a ride to a store, according to a complaint affidavit by a detective with the sheriff's Major Crimes Unit.

Ontiveros surrendered after an El Paso police SWAT standoff at an apartment in Central El Paso, an affidavit stated. A jury trial in the murder case is scheduled for March 15. Sheriff officials have not released the injured man's name.