Not necessary!
Scottsdale man tells of ordeal, calls for increased safety measures
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Editor’s Note: After viewing the Rocky Point Ramblings video in the last issue, the victim of an attempted carjacking on December 27, 2009, has decided to give an exclusive interview to the RPNO. For the purposes of this article, we will refer to him only as D.
“After the story broke about what happened to us, I was approached by television news stations and other media, but I love
Rocky Point. I’ve been going there with my family since I was 16 years old”, said the 38-year-old general contractor. “I have friends there who rely on the tourist trade and do not want this to have a negative impact on their businesses, but I also want the authorities to be more forthcoming and do more to protect those who visit. Even though I was asked not to go to the media, I’ve decided to share my story here”.
Here, in his own words, is D’s account of the events.
“My girlfriend and I love going to
Rocky Point. It’s a special place for us because it’s the first place we ever went together. The kids love it too. My son is 8 and her boy was celebrating his 11th birthday on the day this happened.
We had planned a 5-day vacation over the Christmas break for the four of us. Because of the birthday, we were excited and happy. As we crossed into Mexico we whooped and hollered in the car, excited to begin our much-anticipated vacation. Within minutes, we were living a nightmare.
Approximately five miles outside Sonoyta at 5:35, I passed a slow-moving (about 35 mph) Ford Expedition on the highway. It was an older model, maybe 1998, with faded red paint. As I attempted to pass, it suddenly swerved into me, as if to hit me. After I passed them, they sped up and pulled alongside on the driver’s side and his passenger lowered the window. I quickly and clearly saw that he was pointing a handgun right at me. I slammed on my brakes, and in that moment, he shot, hitting my driver’s side door.
I made a quick U-turn and drove as fast as I could back to Sonoyta, yelling at my family to duck down. The Expedition also turned and pursued me, at one
point almost catching up. Taking no chances, I drove down the middle of the highway, maneuvering so they could not come up on my side. The whole time I was flashing my lights and honking my horn to get attention.
As we approached the city of Sonoyta, they must have realized they could not catch up before reaching the city, so they backed off their pursuit. On the way out of town I had spotted no fewer than 5 patrol cars. Now I couldn’t find one. I drove the streets, honking the horn driving erratically and yet no cops. Finally I found some standing around at the park in the middle of town. None spoke English. I am bilingual, but do struggle with verb conjugation.
I told them what happened and they got on their radios and sent out an alert. Then they took us to the police station, where we had to retell our story no fewer than 5 times. Amazingly, there is no one on the Sonoyta police force who speaks English.
We were nervous, cold and scared. The kids were traumatized. After all that, we were walked to another building for yet another retelling of the events. Told that we were with a police investigator, the young man admitted he was only a secretary, but he’d been told to pretend to be an investigator.
About 35 minutes later, a British couple arrived at the police station. Ten minutes after the attempt on us, the same guys managed to ram their car and pull them over. As everyone knows by now, their car and belongings were taken from them. My family and I stayed hours more in Sonoyta, as they had no one but me to translate for the other couple, who also had children with them.
By now, authorities in
Rocky Point had been alerted to the situation. Oscar Palacio arranged for a police escort to Penasco for us. In light of what had just happened, I was surprised that on the drive I saw not one police cruiser.
We had rented a house in Las Conchas for our vacation, and we did eventually spend that night there, but after what we had been through, we were scared and just wanted to go home. We went to the police station in Penasco and asked to be escorted to the border. The officers were told to take good care of us, and they did.
Oscar Palacio called me shortly after we got home and assured me that great measures would be taken to make the highway safer for travelers. He promised to call me the next day.
Two days later, Fausto Soto called me. I felt he was simply placating me as he gave me vague statements of increased security. He was equally vague when I asked if a travel advisory had been issued. In that conversation he said that there is no way I could be reimbursed the amount spent on the rental, the repair to my truck or our travel expenses. And of course our 5-day vacation was ruined. It wasn’t even so much a matter of the money itself, but I felt, and still feel, that what happened to us wasn’t important enough to them that they would even attempt to make it up to us.
We’ve since been in contact with the other victims. The city provided them with an attorney to help expedite their insurance claim. While at the Sonoyta police department, we were able to identify the assailants in a photo lineup. I was told there would be someone contacting me in a day or two to follow up that lead. To date, I’ve received no calls.
In the video I saw, Fausto Soto said that this is the first time something like this has happened. Well, at the police station, an officer said it had happened just one week prior. Crossing back to the U.S., again I was told of a car being shot at in an attempted
carjacking on the same stretch of highway.
Friends with business interests in
Rocky Point have asked that I not go to the media. I don’t want to hurt anyone. But I do want the authorities to get the message that they must take measures like never before.
I trust the RPNO to tell my story objectively with no exaggerating or cover-up. If I didn’t do it sooner, it’s because I wanted to give the authorities time to take the right measures to protect people”.
I added the bold accent/underline to the last sentence. I don't know Rosie, but if I was in her shoes I would refuse to remove the article regardless of the consequences. All you have is your integrity, and once compromised it's gone forever. This isn't the first time journalists were threatened to bury a story.
