Man charged in brutal stabbing attack on elderly man in Hayward
A 23-year-old man was charged for allegedly stabbing an elderly man numerous times in the head in Hayward, Alameda County prosecutors said Tuesday.
James Lambert is facing charges of assault with a deadly weapon, elder and dependent adult abuse, infliction of injury, and a great bodily injury enhancement, the Alameda County District Attorney's Office said in a news release.
On Aug. 17, Lambert allegedly stabbed Francisco Gonzalez, 81, eight times in the head at Whitman Street in the city. Witnesses saw Lambert then struck Gonzalez with a metal pipe while the elderly man laid on the ground, prosecutors said.
Lambert's unprovoked attack was stopped by an off-duty security guard, the District Attorney's office said.
Due to his injuries, Gonzalez was rushed to Eden Medical Center. He is currently in critical condition, prosecutors said.
"This case presents extraordinary circumstances - a senseless and brutal attack on a vulnerable victim," Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price said in a statement.
Lambert faces nine years in prison if convicted. With the great bodily injury enhancement, an additional five-year jail time can be added to his sentence, prosecutors said.