Three U.S. tourists were stabbed in Puerto Rico on Monday morning after filming at a hamburger stand in a neighborhood made famous in the popular “Despacito” music video, authorities said.
Carlos Brown, 39, and Wallace Florence, 37, both from South Carolina, and Jackson Tremayne, 38, of Georgia, were filming at 4 a.m. in the infamous La Perla neighborhood when they were asked to stop and leave by locals.
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When they didn’t, a suspect described as a fair-skinned man with long white hair allegedly hit Florence in the head. The friends then ran off only to realize they were being followed and eventually cornered.
When the trio made it to Imperial Street, a popular area near the Museum of Art and History, someone with a knife stabbed Brown in the arm and stabbed Tremayne six times, including in the chest, the upper left side of his abdomen, his left arm, and his back.
The men were taken to an area hospital, but there has been no update on their condition. Their friend Florence did not want medical attention.
La Perla is a historical shanty town near Old San Juan. Not too long ago, it was considered dangerous but became a tourism hot spot in 2017 after it was featured by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee in the hit music video “Despacito.”
Since then, visitors have flocked to the urban neighborhood.
“A decade ago, the neighborhood was not a place that visitors would typically go, but the area is growing and changing,” the tourist website DiscoverPuetroRico.com states. “That said, there’s a difference between taking a walking tour during the day and wandering around the streets alone at night. Using good judgment will help to ensure you have an enjoyable experience.”
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Two years ago, a Delaware resident was killed and set on fire after police said he tried to take pictures while buying drugs in La Perla. A friend who was with him was beaten but survived.
