Teens Held Over Homecoming Dance Gang Rape

Police believe that as many as a dozen people watched a fifteen year old girl get beaten and gang-raped outside her high school homecoming dance without reporting it.

Two suspects were in custody Monday, but police said as many as five other men attacked the girl over a period of approximately two hours Friday night outside Richmond High School.

"She was raped, beaten, robbed and dehumanized by several suspects who were obviously ok enough with it to behave that way in each other's presence," Lt. Mark Gagan said. "What makes it even more disturbing is the presence of others. People came by, saw what was happening and failed to report it."

The victim remains hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.

A nineteen year old by the name of Manuel Ortega was arrested at the scene and is being held on $800,000 bail for investigation of rape and robbery. He is not a student at the high school.

A fifteen year old student was also booked late Monday on one count of sexual assault.

Police said the girl left the dance and was walking to meet her father to get a ride home when a classmate invited her to join a group drinking in the courtyard. The victim had injested a large amount of alcohol by the time the assault began.

Officers received a tip about a possible assault on campus and arrived to find the girl semi-conscious near a picnic table.

Marin Trujillo is a spokesman for the West Contra Costa Unified School District and said there were four police officers and three school administrators monitoring the dance, but the assault happened away from the gym where the dance was being held.