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Home blog Criminal Defense In the News Fontana Man Faces Hate Crimes Charges Following Alleged Assault in Rialto

Fontana Man Faces Hate Crimes Charges Following Alleged Assault in Rialto

By Michael Guisti on May 4, 2015

Rialto, CA — There are a number of aggravating and mitigating factors that can affect sentencing in a criminal case. California is one of many states which allows sentencing enhancements for hate crimes, in which violence is motivated by personal prejudice.

Prosecutors in San Bernardino County filed a charge of attempted murder with enhancements for hate crimes against Jeremiah Ajani Bell, 22. Bell, a resident of Fontana, was arrested on suspicion of severely beating a man with a baseball bat on Monday afternoon. Around 2:30 pm, surveillance video shows Bell carrying an aluminum baseball bat in Rialto, then later running away without it. According to witnesses, Bell walked up to the victim, Armando Barron, 54, and began attacking him without saying anything. Bell was arrested at his apartment later that day when officers conducting an unrelated investigation realized that he matched the description of the attacker.

According to court documents, Barron, who was returning home from the grocery store at the time of the attack, is in the hospital where multiple blows to the head have rendered him paralyzed and comatose. Family members say he is not expected to survive.

Bell, who reportedly confessed to police, is scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday. He is currently being held in lieu of $1 million bail. According to a spokesman for the Rialto police department, Bell specifically wanted to attack somebody who was not black.

Whether or not there there are additional enhancements, a serious violent crimes charge like assault with a deadly weapon or attempted murder can result in a lengthy prison sentence in the event of a conviction. It can also count as a strike under California’s three strikes law. The best thing you can do when you’ve been charged with a crime is to hire legal representation.

At the Law Office of Michael L. Guisti, we’ve successfully defended clients from all over Southern California. Our dedicated, knowledgeable staff knows the best strategies for fighting charges like domestic violence, theft, fraud, sexual assault, DUI, and hit-and-run in state and federal courts. We aren’t afraid to take on difficult or high-profile cases and we have an excellent record of having the charges against our clients reduced or dismissed.

We know how difficult it can be to take on the burden of mounting a legal defense on top of all your personal and professional obligations. At our firm, we do everything we can to make the process of an investigation and trial as painless as possible for our clients. Our staff is available to take your calls 24/7 and we never give up on our clients.

For the past 16 years, it has been our pleasure to serve the extraordinarily diverse population of Southern California. We maintain offices in Santa Ana, Newport Beach, Garden Grove, and Irvine in order to be closer to Orange County’s major court districts and we are proud to offer foreign language assistance as needed.

So if you’ve been charged with a crime in Southern California, call the Law Office of Michael L. Guisti at (714) 707-2797 for a free consultation with one of our highly qualified legal professionals.

Sources:

Hamilton, Matt. “Fontana man charged with hate crime in baseball bat beating.” http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-hate-crime-beating-20150429-story.html. Los Angeles Times. 29 April 2015.

Pamer, Melissa and Chris Wolfe. “Fontana Man Charged With Hate Crime in Alleged Unprovoked Baseball-Bat Beating in Rialto.” http://ktla.com/2015/04/29/fontana-man-charged-with-hate-crime-in-alleged-unprovoked-baseball-bat-beating-in-rialto/. KTLA 5. 29 April 2015.

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