Four of the older members of group were hospitalized after being slashed in the unprovoked attack that occurred in the early hours of Saturday morning. Three are reported to be in “serious” condition. One had two fingers amputated, according to one source.
Police reports noted that the aggressors, who had been drinking heavily, surprised the group at around 3:30 a.m. and demanded to know why they were camping in the area.
The attackers isolated six campers, including two women, from the main group and led them into the surrounding hills, where they stole their cell phones, footwear and pants. The six were then abandoned in the dark to find their own way back to their companions.
One unsubstantiated report suggested the women had been sexually abused.
El Diente is a popular spot for climbers, hikers and eco-tourists but has scant vigilance and has not been immune to problems involving delinquents.
The area was the scene of a shoot-out between the occupants of two vehicles in October last year and several bodies have been dumped in the zone in the past 20 months.
By Tuesday, police said they had arrested three of the alleged attackers. One newspaper report described the men as “rancheros cholos” who hail from nearby pueblos.
A popular area for eco-tourists, El Diente was named a natural protected zone in 2008.
Zapopan Mayor Hector Robles expressed his outrage at the attack and cancelled a planned visit to Spain this week in order to attend to issues of public security in the municipality, especially in its parks and wooded areas. (Three weeks ago a cyclist was murdered as he pedaled through El Centinela, provoking protests among the city’s large cycling community.) Robles said he would immediately increase the number officers patrolling all the parks, including the Primavera and Metropolitano, and also introduce round-the-clock vigilance.