Interstate 215 Assault on 18 month old Plead Guilty

Nicolas Lopez Garcia, 44,

During a Preliminary Hearing held Tuesday November 24, 2015 Nicolas Lopez Garcia, 44 and the District Attorneys Office met to discus sufficient grounds for evidence for trial after Nicolas Lopez Garcia, Pleaded not guilty in May of 2015 to the charges. The plea deal is written as

Under the deal, Garcia admitted the attempted murder count, as well as two counts of assault with a deadly weapon and sentence-enhancing allegations of using a weapon in the commission of a felony and inflicting great bodily injury.
In exchange, the District Attorney’s Office dropped two other assault counts, and charges of attempted kidnapping, child abuse and resisting arrest against the defendant.

On May 11, 2015 at 1:20 am, a Family of five was traveling along the Northbound 215 just before Newport Road. There 1990 Mazda Hatchback encountered a flat tire requiring them to pull off to the shoulder.

44 year old Nicolas Lopez Garcia, was walking along the south bound lanes until he seen the Mazda Hatchback, he then crossed the freeway and grabbed a broken Mile Highway Marker began busting windows of the vehicle while the family was changing their tire. An 18 month old male child was seated in the back seat when Nicolas Lopez Garcia began to slash the child with broken edges of the mile highway marker, while trying to nab the child out of the seat.

Three adults of the family tried to subdue or take the broken high marker away from Nicolas Lopez Garcia though were inured in the process, forcing them to get in their car and drive away to another location where they called 911.

The CHP responded and located Nicolas Lopez Garcia, at the scene where he was trying to light children toys on fire including a book. The 18 month old and the mother were transported to the Inland Valley Medical. The 18 month old suffered lacerations to his neck and hands, and the mother suffered severe non life threatening injuries.

CHP Officers had extinguished the fire, and tried to detain Nicolas Lopez Garcia. After Garcia refused to cooperate with CHP commands they used the Non life threatening Taser. Nicolas Lopez Garcia was booked into Southwest Detention Center in Murrieta, on attempted murder charges, will full harm to a child, assault with a deadly weapon, resisting arrest and being under the influence.

My Valley News

Laura Montenegro and Leticia Juarez ABC7 News