Man Charged in Hammer Attack at Rochester Grocery Store Enters Guilty Plea
Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- The man charged in connection to a hammer attack at Rochester grocery store this past summer has entered into a plea agreement with Olmsted County prosecutors.
29-year-old Pedro Vasquez was charged with a count of felony second-degree assault and misdemeanor fifth-degree assault in July. He was accused of swinging a hammer at several shoppers that he appeared to have obtained from a back room at the store.
On Friday Vasquez entered a plea agreement in which he admitted to the felony assault count. In exchange the prosecution dropped the fifth-degree assault charge and will recommend a sentence that will keep Vasquez out of prison but could result in him serving jail time.
The criminal complaint in the case accused Vasquez of swinging a hammer at Cub Foods shoppers in southeast Rochester on the night of July 5. Responding Rochester Police officers found the Rochester man being restrained by a shopper in the deli area when they arrived at the store.
At one point during the case an arrest warrant was issued for Vasquez after he failed to appear at a court hearing following his release without bail. He was re-arrested a short time later.
Vasquez is currently being held in the Olmsted County Jail on $20,000 bail without conditions. He is scheduled to be sentenced in March.
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Gallery Credit: Samm Adams