Carson City Sheriff: Victim of Thursday night beating dies

UPDATE: The two men arrested in the fatal beating Thursday of a Carson City man said they were allegedly accosted by the victim who came after them with a machete, according to information obtained by Carson Now.

Leon Arellano Pacheco, 61, died Friday of traumatic injuries to the brain after being beaten in the parking lot of Stanton Arms apartments Thursday night. Two brothers, Ruri Santiago, 27, and Alfredo Santiago, 29, are being held without bail in Carson City Jail.

Witnesses told Carson City Sheriff's Office detectives that they observed Pacheco arguing with three men, including suspects Ruri and Alfredo Santiago in the parking lot.

Suspect Ruri Santiago allegedly pushed Pacheco and the victim pushed back. Pacheco then, allegedly, retrieved a large metal machete type stick from his vehicle and went after the men, according to information obtained by Carson Now. The weapon was found late Friday afternoon by investigators.

A man who was with the two suspects at the time of the beating told authorities he did not strike Pacheco. There were no visible injuries on the man and witnesses later advised the man was not an active participant in the beating, according to information obtained by Carson Now.

The man with the suspects said Pacheco went over to the men he was arguing with and attempted to strike Ruri with the weapon. The men overpowered Pacheco and took the weapon away from him, striking him in the face with a beer bottle and punching and kicking him in the head, stomach and back while he was on the ground. The brothers then fled in a brown Impala, according to information obtained by Carson Now.

Another witness told officers that he was in the parking lot and observed Pacheco drive up next to the suspects who were drinking beer in the parking lot. According to information obtained by Carson Now, the witness told investigators that Pacheco began to argue with the men and then retrieved a dark colored stick from his vehicle and attempted to strike the two suspects with it.

Suspects Ruri and Alfredo Santiago reportedly grabbed Pacheco and took him to the ground, punching and kicking him in the body and head several times, according to information obtained by Carson Now.

At around 1:20 a.m. Friday detectives received an anonymous phone call advising the two men involved were the Santiago brothers and stated where the men lived, according to information obtained by Carson Now.

Detectives conducted an Web query and Facebook search for the men and learned Ruri Santiago had a brown Impala with chrome wheels displayed on his Facebook page. A witness also identified the Ruri Santiago in a photographic lineup, according to information obtained by Carson Now.

At around 2:30 a.m. Carson City Special Enforcement Team officers located the brown Chevy Impala on Northgate Lane near the Hot Springs Road mobile Home complex.

At 6:35 a.m. Carson City deputies made a traffic stop on Ruri Santiago near the I-580 freeway and College Parkway and arrested him without incident. The man was read his Miranda rights and consented to an interview. Ruri Santiago advised that he got into an argument with Pacheco and that Pacheco retrieved a machete and chased him with it. When Pacheco was on the ground, Ruri said he kicked him in the face in anger, according to information obtained by Carson Now.

At 10:47 a.m. Carson City deputies located Alfredo Santiago in the 900 block of Woodside Drive. He was taken into custody without incident and interviewed, waiving his Miranda rights. He told officers Pacheco confronted his younger brother, the two began arguing and pushing each other, and that Pacheco retrieved a machete and chased Ruri Santiago. Alfredo Santiago said he then struck Pacheco with a beer bottle and then kicked him while he was on the ground.

The men are being held without bail pending an Immigration and Customs Enforcement check. They are likely facing charges related to the death of Pacheco.

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UPDATE 6:23 PM: The Carson City Sheriff’s Office has been informed that the victim of the altercation at the Stanton Arms apartments Thursday night, 61-year-old Leon Arellano Pacheco of Carson City, died late this afternoon.
Two brothers are being held in connection with his death. Check back for more information on this developing story.

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4:10PM Friday: Two suspects have been arrested in connection with Thursday night's assault on Woodside Drive in which the victim remains in critical condition today, said Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong.

The men have been identified as Alfredo Santiago, 29, and Ruri Santiago, 27, of Carson City. They are brothers. Both have been charged with battery causing substantial bodily harm. Although both have bail set at $15,000 each, they both have had additional immigration holds placed on them for deportation proceedings following the resolution of the criminal charges.

The victim was flown to Renown Medical Center in Reno where he is in critical condition with life-threatening injuries.

The Carson City Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident that occurred at 8:02 p.m. at the Stanton Arms apartment.

Investigators have determined that the participants involved were all acquaintances of one-another and possibly intoxicated at the time. At some point during the evening, a verbal argument escalated to a physical altercation resulting in one person being seriously injured.

If you have any information regarding this incident, please contact the Carson City Sheriff’s Office at 775-887-2500.