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A homeless man was charged with two counts of felony assault with a deadly weapon for an attack on two patrons at Saint Frank Coffee in Menlo Park.
Jose Hernandez Lopez, 48, was charged for an attack on Monday, June 3, at the coffee shop, located at 1018 Alma St. The San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office alleges he took a metal pipe out of his backpack and swung it at two customers, missing one’s face by less than a foot, after muttering and cursing in Spanish.
Saint Frank Coffee owner Kevin Bohlin told The Almanac that employees were preoccupied and did not see the incident.
According to the DA’s office, Lopez is homeless, frequents the area, and has mental health issues.
Officers found Lopez carrying metal pipes nearby after a victim called 911. Lopez kicked an officer in the leg; the officer was not injured, according to the DA’s office.
Lopez faces two counts of felony assault with a deadly weapon, each carrying a maximum sentence of four years, and one count of misdemeanor battery on a police officer.
Before his arraignment on Tuesday, Lopez refused to leave the jail. A court appointed defender entered a plea of not guilty for all three counts on his behalf. His bail was set at $25,000 and he remains in custody.
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So sad :(. There seems to be a lot of these type of incidents happening, not just here, but in the entire state of CA, like the guy at the train station who was beaten last week by an unhoused person. My neighbor was attacked and beaten by an unhoused man in Palo Alto, on El Camino near Stanford while she was walking to work. I understand there is a lot of compassion for the unhoused, and some of you may not agree with me, but when they become dangerous to our neighbors, families and especially our children, we need to take another look at how we can keep the violent unhoused off the streets and out of our neighborhoods. Jail is not a great option, a mental treatment facility would be a good option, but we don’t seem to have many of those around, and so I think these violent unhoused should be kept in jail for the safety of our community.