Attempted murder charge filed in Santa Rosa theater knife attack
Delonte Anthony Hart, 23, did not enter a plea Friday afternoon in Sonoma County Superior Court. he is charged in the attempted stabbing murder of a man in a Santa Rosa movie theater.
SONOMA COUNTY, Calif. (BCN) - A Santa Rosa man was charged in Sonoma County Superior Court this afternoon with the attempted stabbing murder of a man in a Santa Rosa movie theater Wednesday afternoon.
Delonte Anthony Hart, 23, did not enter a plea and his case was transferred to a trial court. He is being held in the Sonoma County Jail and a hearing on his $1 million bail is scheduled for July 8.
Family members of the victim, Adam Lucero, 21, attended the brief arraignment this afternoon. Mike Lucero, 30, of Los Angeles, said his brother was stabbed four times in the right arm, lung, ear and neck. Lucero said Adam is on a ventilator in the intensive care unit of Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital and is expected to remain hospitalized for another week or two.
Lucero it is "a miracle" none of his brother's major arteries were cut, and his brother also suffered cuts on his arm when he fought off the knife attack in the downtown theater at 85 Santa Rosa Ave.
Adam Lucero also lived in the Los Angeles area but he was staying at an aunt's house in Napa County while he looked for a place to live as he recently found a job in the Bay Area, Mike Lucero said.
Lucero said his family has not been able to converse much with their brother, but police said they believe Hart followed Lucero to the men's room and back into the Roxy Stadium 14 Theater where he sat behind Adam.
Santa Rosa police said the attack was unprovoked and Lucero was stabbed from behind.
Hart ran from the theater and was arrested within minutes of the attack at the Prince Memorial Greenway at A Street, police said. The knife was recovered in the theater.
Hart is originally from Baltimore, Maryland and he lived in Alameda County before he arrived in the Santa Rosa area about four months ago, police Capt. Ray Navarro said.
Santa Rosa police are investigating whether Hart is a suspect in the stabbing murder of 32-year-old Cirak Mateos Tesfazgi who was found dead on the sidewalk in front of 418 Riley St. in Santa Rosa Monday.
Friends of Tesfazgi's family also attended Hart's arraignment this afternoon. Mengistab Gebre said Tesfazgi was gentle, polite, quiet and intelligent, and wanted to get a Master's degree after his graduation from Sonoma State University where he studied English.
Lucero's family has set up an account on www.gofundme.com to pay for Adam Lucero's medical expenses.