By Trina A. San Agustin
Variety News Staff

Dededo Vice Mayor Andrew Benavente was allegedly hit with pieces of metal from a sling shot while he and three of his maintenance employees were cleaning up the Lechon Park on Sunday.
“We were at Lechon Park picking up trash when a 69-year-old woman approached me and told me that there were some people drinking alcohol and were beyond control,” said Benavente. “What happened was, I approached them and told them who I was. I then told them that this place (the park) was not a drinking area. This place is for kids. It is a park area.”
The alleged incident, according to Dededo Mayor Melissa Savares, occurred between 3:30 and 4:30 p.m. Sunday.
Benavente further told Variety in his account of the incident: “What happened was that the individual got upset and said I had no right to tell him that they were not supposed to be at the park. One of the men stuck his hand in his pocket, I had to defend myself, so I pushed him and he ran away from me.”
The man, after the “defense move,” immediately took a sling shot and tried hitting Benavente three times. One of the shots at the Vice Mayor hit his right side.
“It’s not that bad. It’s just a slight scratch to my right side. The other man who was with him then took the slingshot away from the first man and started shooting. One of the maintenance workers with me got hit,” he added.
Benavente said they caught one of the alleged shooters while the other was caught by the Guam Police Department later.
“Thank god it didn’t hit me directly,” he said.
Savares told Variety that the two men were allegedly drinking beer and were urinating on the walls of the senior center and behind the mayor’s office.
“As they (Benavente and crew) were getting ready to leave the area they shot little pieces of rebar at them. Our concern was that there were children in the park. It was just near the skateboard park, so that was when the police were contacted,” Savares added. “When things like that happen in the park we worry because of the kids. So we are monitoring it.”
“I just want them — I even told the Attorney General — to stay out of that area. Not even in the sports area in the village. I will not press charges – I just want the two men to stay out of the park area. There are kids there, people jogging, and it is just not nice for them to do those kinds of things there. I hope they realize that if they drink they should stay home and drink, not go out and do things that you are not supposed to be doing out there,” Benavente said.
For those who plan on consuming alcoholic beverages in the Lechon Park the Vice Mayor warned that GPD will do its part to advise residents not to drink at the park.
Arrested in this case were Akung Pon, 35, of Dededo who was charged with aggravated assault, use of a deadly weapon in the commission of a crime, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, and public drunkenness; and Waini Reifich, 26, of Dededo.
Currently there is no existing law that prohibits the consumption of alcoholic beverages in village parks. Guzman recommended that senators work at creating one for the safety of children and other residents that use the village parks.