Wanted: An attacker I once confronted (video)

I debated with myself about posting this story and the raw video (see the bottom of this post) because, admittedly, I act a bit douchey in the footage and this incident happened nearly a year ago.

However, with news the city is installing cameras to monitor crime at Denver parks, I felt compelled to put this incident out there, especially now since this case remains active in the justice system.

In short, I came upon a man attacking a woman at Denver’s Commons Park last June and I got involved.

I was spat on, police came and they eventually arrested the dude.

The attacker is Simplicio Mendez-Santos, 19, who has been charged with misdemeanor assault and is currently wanted on a warrant.

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Video Still: I came upon Mendez-Santos (blue shirt) with his hands around a woman’s throat.

I’d very much would like to see this guy answer for his crime.

The backstory:

Last June I was walking my dog at Commons Park when I saw a guy place a young woman in a headlock. He began throwing her around inside a brick structure at Commons Park.

There was nobody around seeing this and I felt compelled to stop the attack out of fear things would get far worse.

Video is the best witness, especially in situations when someone may be doing something wrong, so I began to record as I ran towards the direction of the attack.

As you’ll see in the video, Mendez-Santos was on top of the woman choking her as I ran up and started yelling.

The young woman escaped and after some heated words were exchanged, he spat on me.

Police responded and arrested Mendez-Santos. They took my video as evidence and filed a case against him.

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From the police report. They redacted my name when I requested a copy.

Mendez-Santos is currently wanted on the misdemeanor warrant for this assault case because he failed to appear for a court hearing.

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Mug shot – Simplicio Mendez Santos, 19, is currently wanted for assault.

What’s happening today:

I ran his background and it turns out this 19 year old already has quite an arrest history.

Records show he was arrested again for misdemeanor assault in Adams County about three months after the choking incident. He was convicted in the Adams County case.  

His first arrest dates back to November of 2015 for failing to appear in court on another case.

That brings the total number of arrests on his record to three. He’s only 19.

I’m not sure if the new cameras at Commons Park would have helped in this case because the attack was happening behind a brick wall, however, I do hope cameras will aide law enforcement when necessary.

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A montage of photos of the new cameras at Commons Park

Warning: Video contains loads of douchey statements made by me and loads of F-bombs. 

EDIT: I’ve removed the YouTube embed. You can see the video and coverage on my station’s website here.


17 thoughts on “Wanted: An attacker I once confronted (video)

  1. Every F-bomb was completely warranted. I would have added a few c-missiles after I laid him out. you get extra points for not using violence, something I could not have done. Proud of you, mate.

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  2. Sweet mother of God the first don’t touch me would have been the little shits last words. I hope he had an organ donor card filled out because spare parts would be all that was left when I was done. Kudos to you for not removing his DNA from the gene pool . . . I think.

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  3. I know you’re not posting this for self-glorification but I still want to say it was courageous of you to get involved. We too often hear stories of those who mind their own business. I can’t imagine what would have happened to the young lady without your interference. You did what you needed to do and punching him was not one of those things. He may have deserved it but who knows where that would have led. So thank you.

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  4. Major props to you. I was in a similar situation a long time ago in a public park in the middle of the day and nobody could be bothered to help. All I could think was ‘why isn’t anyone doing anything??’

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  5. Good Job! You should be proud of the courage you have shown. The world needs more people to stand up for what is right. Mendez-Santos has no courage – he is nothing but a punk.

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  6. I went to high school with both of them. The girl was a good friend of mine, and would follow him anywhere. He has a huge history of violence and drug addiction. Last heard they were in Mexico.

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