Head-trauma victim wakes up

Richard Massey, the 16-year-old Chico youth who suffered a vehicle-induced head injury after allegedly trying to steal a bike and stabbing a pursuer has reportedly regained consciousness at Enloe Medical Center. An Enloe official said the boy is in “fair” condition. A family friend said Massey was awake and talking but remembered nothing of the incident and has had trouble recognizing friends.

On Sept. 16 Massey and two other teens allegedly tried to steal two bicycles from a house near Mulberry and 15th streets. The bikes’ owner, an as-yet-unnamed 34-year-old man, told police when he and a 33-year-old friend jumped into a pick-up truck and chased down and confronted the teens, they were attacked by the knife-wielding Massey.

The friend was allegedly stabbed by the boy, who soon after was hit by the truck, resulting in a head injury that at first was presumed to be life-threatening. Massey was placed in an induced coma and his family and friends protested what they saw as vigilante justice and a lack of response from law enforcement. The protests have quieted in recent weeks.