A Vancouver couple appeared Friday in Clark County Superior Court after allegedly attacking a man with baseball bats, breaking his nose and jaw, court records state.
Damien A. Gaustad, 19, faces an allegation of first-degree assault and Reyna Diaz, 22, faces an allegation of second-degree assault stemming from the early Thursday morning incident at the Marketplace Apartments park.
Vancouver police were called shortly before 12:50 a.m. to the apartments at 2900 General Anderson Ave., for a weapons disturbance and assault, emergency dispatch records show.
The victim, Richard Barrera, told police he was assaulted by a man and woman with metal baseball bats near the basketball court of the apartment complex, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
Barrera said the woman, later identified by police as Diaz, swung her bat at him, but he blocked it with his hand. The male assailant, later identified as Gaustad, then knocked Barrera to the ground. While on the ground, Diaz struck Barrera in the back with the bat, the affidavit states.
Gaustad told police that he was in a confrontation with about five people at the park and hit Barrera with the bat at least twice. Witnesses said that Barrera punched Gaustad in the face first and Gaustad hit him back with the bat, according to a separate affidavit of probable cause.
Barrera was transported to a local hospital for injuries to his face, ribs and back, court documents state.
It was unclear from court records if Gaustad had retrieved the bat from his apartment before or after the alleged confrontation.
Diaz initially denied having a bat but later said she went and got it to use it against Barrera, court records say.
During their first appearances, Judge Robert Lewis set Gaustad’s bail at $75,000 and Diaz’s bail at $10,000. They will be arraigned June 29.
