Spanish
Santo Domingo.- Gregory Miguel Arias Matos, father of the teenager Jean Maicol Arias Suárez, 14 years old, spoke out this Friday after an interview with his son circulated in which he is associated with the alleged criminal “Chukito”, who recently died after facing a National Police patrol in a shootout.
The case presented by journalist Ramón Tolentino on the program “Esto No Es Radio” shows an audiovisual where the teenager expresses that he was with the alleged gang of criminals “Lo Clink”, and that they told him that he had a certain resemblance to “Chukito”.You may be interested in:Police arrest two of four alleged criminals in Santiago
These statements caused alarm due to the expressions used by the minor. However, both the teenager and his father allege that the content was manipulated and recorded without the consent of adults. The teenager confirmed that he was contacted by a person who identified himself as "Angelito Video", through a friend who recorded videos for him for TikTok. He added that upon seeing the reach of the video, he asked for it to be deleted, but he was ignored and blocked by the person who recorded it. During his statements, the minor's father acknowledged that his son has had difficulties in school and has been influenced by bad friends, but denied any link to criminal activities. "Yes, he hangs out on the street like any young person, but he is not a criminal. I am afraid that something will happen to him because of that false image that is being given," expressed Matos. "The child doesn't live with me or his mother, he lives with his grandmother. I found out when everything had already happened. I apologize to Ramón Tolentino and the population. Although my son is not a saint, he is not as they presented him in that interview," Matos expressed. According to Maicol himself, someone offered him RD$2,000 to record the audiovisual, promising him that the material would be edited and controlled. "They told me that everything that was going to be said was a lie, that they were going to edit it. They never gave me the money and after they recorded it they blocked me," said the minor, who resides in San Isidro Pueblo, in Santo Domingo Este. Arias Matos claimed to be completely unaware of the recording and regretted the use of his son's image without authorization. "They abused his innocence. He wants to appear experienced, but he's just a child," said the father. In turn, he thanked journalist Tolentino for his interest in investigating the case and asked him to continue addressing the situation of young people in sectors such as San Isidro. "I ask Tolentino to continue his work, but to respect the dignity of minors. Do not allow them to be used like that. I have been following my son, although he does not live with me, and I will do everything possible to guide him," he pointed out.
