IE Felon Who Assaulted Date With A Vodka Bottle Heads To State Prison

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — A 25-year-old convicted felon who beat a woman with a bottle during a date was bound for state prison Wednesday to serve an eight-year sentence.

Gabriel Ray Hernandez of Highland pleaded guilty last month to assault with a deadly weapon under a pretrial agreement with the Riverside County District Attorney's Office. In exchange for his admission, prosecutors dropped four related charges against Hernandez.

During a hearing Tuesday at the Riverside Hall of Justice, Superior Court Judge Jennifer Gerard certified the terms of the plea agreement and imposed the sentence stipulated by the prosecution and defense.

Hernandez met the victim, identified in court documents only as "A.M.," via social media, and the two connected for a date on the night of Aug. 3, 2024, when the defendant drove to her residence in the 27000 block of Barcelona Drive in Temescal Valley and picked her up, sheriff's Investigator Soraya Pytell said at the time.

After Hernandez got the woman alone in the area of Horsethief Canyon and Mountain roads, he became aggressive, striking her repeatedly with a vodka bottle, Pytell said.

The victim "suffered significant trauma," she said.

According to court papers, Hernandez's apparent intent was to perpetrate a sexual offense, though he wasn't convicted of that crime. The victim was either briefly knocked out or unable to get her bearings, but she ultimately got away from the defendant and reported what had happened.

She sought medical attention and was hospitalized for an undisclosed period.

Detectives soon afterward identified Hernandez as the assailant, and he was taken into custody without incident two weeks later on North Arrowhead Avenue in San Bernardino.

Court papers indicated he had prior adult and juvenile felony convictions, including an assault conviction out of San Bernardino County.