Two of Three Tourists Stabbed in Puerto Rico Remain Hospitalized

  • Ernice Gilbert
  • February 08, 2023
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La Perla, Puerto Rico. By. GETTY IMAGES

Three U.S. tourists were stabbed in Puerto Rico after they were told by someone to stop filming in a well-known community in Old San Juan named La Perla.

According to the Associated Press, which cited Puerto Rico law enforcement, the incident started when one of the tourists, a resident of South Carolina, was told to stop filming a mobile hamburger cart and leave the area.

According to police, two of the victims remain hospitalized, including one who was stabbed six times. 

Arrests have not been made, according to local authorities.

The violent incident comes two years after a tourist from Delaware was killed and set on fire in La Perla, after being told not to take pictures while buying drugs. The victim's friend was beaten but survived.

Following the release of the music video Despacito, the second most watched video on YouTube with over 8 billion views, La Perla gained popularity as the Old San Juan community was prominently featured. The song, by Puerto Rican singers Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, has been credited by music journalists as being among the hits responsible for popularizing Spanish pop music in the mainstream market.

La Perla was once considered a slum where most of Puerto Rico's heroin exchange occurred, but following a 2011 raid by federal agents, crime saw a significant drop.

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