'The Dark Side Of Campaigning': East Bay Councilwoman Left Bruised After Attack

FREMONT, CA — A normal day talking with constituents at a park turned into a nightmare for an East Bay councilwoman after she was assaulted.

The attack happened at a park in Newark on Sunday, Oct. 25, as Eve Marie Little, a councilwoman, talked with constituents at a park.

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"The last 12 days have been some of the most traumatic of my life and the level of sadness I have in my heart is huge," Little said.

Little says she was jotting down her constituents' suggestions about an upcoming park update when a woman suddenly "jumped" her from behind.

The councilwoman was sent crashing to the ground, as the suspect violently and repeatedly punched her in the face, according to a Facebook post published by Little on Thursday.

A picture of Little's bruised, battered eye accompanies the post.

Doing everything she could to get the woman off, Little says she eventually escaped.

But by the time she could get back on her feet, the woman had jumped in a car with a group of people and fled, Little described.

Little says she was taken to the ER afterward for multiple injuries. The extent of her injuries is not clear, but Little alluded to having suffered a concussion during the attack.

The suspect, identified as a Fremont resident, Rosario Lopez, 31, was taken into custody in connection with the assault four days later, according to police.

Investigators located Lopez through license plate readers and help from a Good Samaritan. The 31-year-old was arrested on Oct. 29 and subsequently charged by the Alameda County District Attorney's Office. It's unclear if Lopez knew Little before the attack.

Despite the arrest, Little says she still feels unsettled, calling the incident the "dark side of campaigning" that people don't see.

Little says that ever since being elected to serve on Newark's city council, she's strived to do "the very best" she can for her community.

"And when this happened to me, all the wind has been taken out of my sails," Little said. "I feel betrayed by people and feel that this wasn't fair, that I did nothing wrong to deserve this. Just a total wave of sadness and despair. I know things heal with time, but right now I just want to curl up into a ball and cry.

As of Thursday, Lopez is no longer jailed, records show.

Bay City News contributed to this report.