POLITICAL PROTEST TAKES STRANGE TURN - Dallas student attacked by Luchadors

DALLAS- It was supposed to be a political statement. Instead it turned into a nightmare for one Dallas student. On Thursday morning, several hundreds of Mexican American citizens gathered together outside the Earl Cabell Federal Building near downtown to protest the President's continuing pursuit to push his most recent immigration bill through Congress. Several of those in attendance were high school students from the surrounding suburbs. Alex Garcia, who attends Lake Highland High School, disregarded his Principal's repeated warnings that he would mark any Hispanic student who attended the protest with an unexcused absence. Perhaps in hindsight, he wishes he had listened.



Seen here in a photo taken the morning of the protest, Alex made no excuses about his love for all things America.



Witnesses say that it was unlike anything they had ever seen at a political event. A Luchador, now identified as Poncho Lupez - a little known wrestler out of Veracruz, Mexico, began pushing his way to the front of the crowd. "I saw him earlier in the morning" remembers one man. "I kept thinking he looked real suspicious, but I just couldn't be sure."


Photo of Poncho Lupez taken by an onlooker at Thursday's protest.

Police officers noticed the disruption in the crowd and turned their attention towards the approaching Luchador. "We were unsure about the motive of the Luchador" said officer Martinez of the Dallas Police Department. "He certainly appeared to be upset, but it was difficult to tell because of you know, the mask." Poncho Lupez jumped the barricade set up by the police and began flapping his arms in the air and yelling. A young woman recalls the scene.

"Yeah, he just started flapping his arms like a bird. He was yelling that America stinks and all Hispanics should embrace their Mexican heritage and become Luchador's like him. It really didn't make much sense at first." While police were apprehending the first Luchador, a second one appeared. Petey Lupez was heard challenging the crowd to give him an opponent who thought the proposed immigration bill was fair.



As young Garcia watched the chaos unfold, he felt a shove from behind and found himself face to face with the angry Luchador. Several eye witnesses say Petey Lupez appeared to say something to Alex just before he charged the student, flipping him over his shoulder and onto the ground. In the midst of the scuffle, Poncho Lupez escaped the police, grabbed Alex by his American flag cape and drug him to his feet. "I thought he was going to break that poor kid over his knee" one woman told The News. Alex was spun around and flung into the crowd.
"I think most of the crowd thought it was a joke, everyone cheered for the Luchadors" remembered Douglas Irillio, of McKinney. But what happened next, no one could have scripted. The real "fake" challenger arrived on the scene.

Eddie Vasquez, an actor at the Dallas Theatre of Arts, was hired by the Luchadors to participate in a demonstration sketch for the protest. His costume was to consist of a blatantly demeaning sombrero and an American flag tied as a cape. The morning of the protest, Eddie the actor was involved in a car accident on I-35 and was delayed in getting to the protest. Said Eddie, "It was just your basic rear-ender."
Once it was clear that Alex Garcia was not the actor hired to portray "the opponent", medics were rushed to the scene and Alex was taken to nearby Baylor Medical Center.

"Everything happened so fast" said Alex from his hospital bed. "When the Luchador whispered to me that I was late, I didn't know how to respond." If this unfortunate case of mistaken identity is not enough to detract protesters then surely the deportation of Petey and Poncho Lupez is. When asked to comment regarding Thursdays performance, Petey Lupez had this to say.

"I think I speak for my brother when I say I am very confused. How in the hell do two people wear that same outfit. What are the odds?"