Alameda County District Attorney Announces Charges in Brutal Assault of Elderly Man
Alameda County, September 5, 2023 – The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office has filed charges against James Lambert, 23, in connection with the assault of 81-year-old Francisco Gonzalez on August 17. Witnesses reported that Lambert stabbed the elderly man eight times in the head and proceeded to strike him with a metal pipe while he lay on the ground. The defendant is accused of launching the unprovoked attack on Gonzalez as he walked along Whitman Street in Hayward. The assault was halted by the intervention of an off-duty security guard. Gonzalez was rushed to Eden Medical Center and is currently in critical condition.
The charges brought against Lambert include Assault with a Deadly Weapon under Penal Code 245(a)(1) and Elder and Dependent Adult Abuse, Infliction of Injury under Penal Code 368(b)(1). Additionally, in accordance with a Special Directive, the District Attorney’s Office is pursuing a Great Bodily Injury charge pursuant to Penal Code 12022.7(c).
“This case presents extraordinary circumstances – a senseless and brutal attack on a vulnerable victim,” stated Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price. “In response, we are seeking a sentencing enhancement for Great Bodily Injury. Our message is clear: anyone who commits acts of violence against vulnerable individuals in Alameda County will be held accountable.”
If convicted, without the enhancement, Lambert could potentially be sentenced to a maximum of nine years in prison. With the Great Bodily Injury enhancement, an additional five years could be added to the sentence.
## Contact: Public Information Officer Patti Lee, patti.lee@acgov.org // 628-249-1288
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