UC Berkeley stabbing: Suspects 'known for violent crimes'
Officers from the Woodland police gang unit said they had "multiple prior contacts" with the men, one of whom tried to flee to Mexico, UCPD said.
The three men who "viciously attacked and stabbed" a couple in their car in a UC Berkeley parking lot in early May have now been charged, authorities say.
The couple had been enjoying the view from the Lawrence Hall of Science parking lot when they were accosted by the woman's ex-boyfriend, one of her cousins and another man, authorities said.
The men, who wore black ski masks, opened the car doors and stabbed the driver approximately 20 times, also slashing the hand of his girlfriend, who was in the passenger seat, the University of California Police Department wrote in charging papers.
During the May 3 attack, which took place shortly before midnight, the assailants also struck the couple with a metal pole, ripped a gold rosary off the woman's neck and took a $500 Diesel watch and gold ring, worth $1,800, from her boyfriend's wrist and hand, authorities said.
The man told authorities he could feel himself being stabbed but could not see a knife. He tried to cover himself "the best he could," police wrote, and repeatedly asked the men to stop.
The woman recognized the suspects' voices during the attack, police wrote.
After the woman called police, the young couple was rushed to Highland Hospital for treatment.
Authorities found a "significant" amount of blood in their car and on the parking lot pavement around it, police wrote.
Neither the man nor his girlfriend, who are in their 20s, are affiliated with UC Berkeley, authorities said previously.
In court papers, authorities confirmed that the primary assailant was Cesar Lozano, the ex-boyfriend of the woman who was attacked.
She thought he may have put an Apple AirTag on her car to track her, police wrote.
According to court papers, the Flock camera system, which records vehicle license plates, picked up Lozano's car heading east through Albany toward Grizzly Peak, in the direction of the Lawrence Hall of Science, shortly before the attack.
They also found incriminating texts about the crime from Lozano to another man, police wrote.
No one else was parked in the lot when the stabbing happened, police said.
The popular science museum is located at 1 Centennial Drive in the Berkeley Hills.
During the investigation, UCPD wrote, the Woodland Police Department's Gang Unit told detectives all three men were "known for violent crimes" and had "multiple prior contacts" with authorities in Woodland, California, a town of about 60,000 residents outside Sacramento.
All three men are Woodland residents, authorities said.
On May 10, UCPD executed multiple search warrants with the help of the Yolo County SWAT team, arresting Lozano at a Woodland home.
Police said they found the woman's rosary pendant from the May 3 attack in his room.
Lozano, who is 23, "requested a lawyer and declined to provide a statement" to detectives, authorities wrote.
The same day, authorities arrested suspect Erik Gonzalez, 20, at the US/Mexico border in San Diego, police wrote.
Gonzalez was traveling "with a large amount of clothing and a Mexican passport" as well as a Mexican birth certificate "belonging to his brother," according to charging papers.
According to police, Gonzalez admitted he was at the scene during the attack "but denied knowing what … Lozano was going to do."
A few days later, 21-year-old Alberto Quintero — the woman's cousin — turned himself in and gave a statement saying he had been in Berkeley with Lozano during the attack, police wrote.
The Alameda County DA's office has now charged Lozano with attempted murder in relation to the stabbing, while Quintero and Gonzalez were charged with assault likely to product great bodily injury, according to court papers.
Lozano and Gonzalez were also charged with assault with a deadly weapon in relation to the female victim, according to charging papers.
All three men were charged with the robbery of the male victim while Lozano alone was charged with robbing his ex-girlfriend, police wrote.
No prior convictions were listed in Alameda County Superior Court in relation to any of the suspects.
Last week, Lozano was arraigned and served with stay-away orders in relation to both victims, according to court papers.
He has retained private defense attorney Ernesto Castillo to represent him, court papers show.
Quintero was also arraigned last week and ordered to have no contact with the male victim.
Gonzalez is slated to appear in court Wednesday for an attorney and plea hearing, while the other men are set to enter pleas May 28, according to court papers.
Stay tuned to The Scanner for ongoing coverage and the most comprehensive, authoritative reporting on Berkeley crime and safety.
Related coverage
Emilie Raguso
Emilie Raguso
