A man is facing a charge of attempted murder after he attacked a teenager with a large stone in a Mexico City restaurant on Sunday.
A 39-year-old man identified as Sidartha N. hit 19-year-old Andro Nava in the back of the head with a stone slab in a taco restaurant in the trendy neighborhood of Roma. The restaurant’s security cameras captured footage of the brutal, unprovoked attack.
Nava, who was dining with his father when he was attacked, sustained head injuries and was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment. He was discharged after a short stay but subsequently admitted to the National Institute of Neurology, where he was reported in stable condition on Wednesday.
Sidartha, who reportedly lived on the street in the Roma area, was arrested Monday on drug possession charges and remanded in preventative custody. The Mexico City Attorney General’s Office (FGJ) announced Thursday that he had been ordered to stand trial on a charge of attempted murder.
“A period of two months was set for the completion of the complementary investigation,” the FGJ said.
Nava’s father, Manuel Nava, said in an interview that his son could permanently lose his sense of smell and taste as a result of the attack.
He said that he was discharged from the San Ángel Inn Chapultepec hospital after 30 minutes but on the way home his son realized that he couldn’t taste or smell anything when he was given something to eat. It is unclear whether he will recover those senses.
Manuel Nava said he was convinced that the intention of the aggressor was to kill his son.
“He told police that he did it because he was drugged. He’d been taking drugs for five days straight or something like that but he … [attacked my son] without remorse or anything,” he said.
Nava also said that at least two other people have reported attacks by the same man. One of the victims was a woman who suffered a broken leg.
With reports from Reforma, Reporte Indigo, Milenio and El Universal
