San Rafael robbery spree suspects appear in court

Two men accused in an assault and robbery spree in San Rafael had their initial court appearance on Friday but did not enter pleas.

San Rafael police arrested the suspects on Tuesday after officers responded to 911 calls about a group of men targeting people in the southeastern part of the city.

One victim was hospitalized for injuries, police Sgt. Justin Graham said. Authorities said attackers used baseball bats in the assaults, which occurred in the Canal neighborhood and along the San Francisco Bay Trail near Starkweather Shoreline Park and the Target store.

San Rafael residents Widman Rolando Lopez-Barrios, 22, and Maguiver Ostavio Vicente, 18, were charged with assault with a deadly weapon, battery and second-degree robbery. The arraignment was continued to Wednesday because the public defender’s office cited a conflict. Judge Kevin Murphy approved a public defender’s request to have the court appoint attorneys for the defendants.

Prosecutor Michael Wear declined to comment on the case after the hearing.

Lopez-Barrios is also involved in a separate criminal case that named him as one of three defendants who allegedly committed a knife assault in San Rafael and obstructed police officers in March. The preliminary hearing in that case is scheduled for Aug. 27, according to court records.

Lopez-Barrios was out of custody on Tuesday when the police saw him and four other men exiting a trail near Baypoint Drive soon after the spree of robberies and assaults were reported. Investigators connected them to the incidents and arrested them.

The district attorney’s office has not filed charges against the other three suspects, a spokesperson said.