‘Seemingly Unprovoked’: Suspect Charged With Assault of East Bay Council Member
An East Bay woman has been charged with a felony count of battery in the assault of a City Council member, documents from the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office confirmed.
The district attorney’s office is charging Fremont resident Rosario Lopez, 31, with battery causing serious bodily injury, alleging that she attacked Newark City Councilmember Eve Marie Little on Oct. 25.
In a social media post on Thursday, Little said she was “viciously attacked by a complete stranger” while talking with others about upcoming park updates.
“The individual jumped me from behind while I was chatting with the group, causing me to crash to the ground,” Little wrote. “Then she proceeded to punch my face over and over again while I did everything I could to get her off.” Little did not return KQED’s requests for comment.
In a declaration about the arrest, Newark Ofc. Anthony Piquette said that video surveillance showed Little was attacked “seemingly unprovoked” from behind. The woman, later identified as Lopez, fled the scene and left the area in a car.
After Little made a 911 call, Lt. Yama Homayoun told KQED that police were summoned to the scene. A witness followed Lopez’s car, Little said on social media. Using Flock Safety cameras, Piquette later found the car that was registered in Lopez’s name, and the department arrested Lopez on Oct. 29.
Jeff Chorney, a spokesperson for the Alameda County Public Defender’s Office, which is representing Lopez, said people “shouldn’t jump to conclusions” because police arrested their client.
“When shown a photo lineup Ms. Little did not identify our client as the person who attacked her,” Chorney wrote. “Our client is a longtime member of our community and has never been in trouble in Alameda County and we look forward to fighting this case.”
Lopez was no longer in custody as of Friday, according to the county sheriff’s jail records.
Chorney said there was “absolutely no indication” so far that the incident had anything to do with Little being a City Council member.
When a commenter on Little’s post asked what the motive behind the attack could be, Little responded that she’s “not 100% sure but it looks like the girlfriend was jealous that I was talking to her boyfriend along with the 13 other guys about Park improvements.”
Lopez is due in court on Nov. 19.
KQED’s Alina Ta contributed to this report.