Farrah Fawcett And Ryan O'Neal's Son Charged In Stabbings

VENICE, CA — Redmond James O'Neal, the son of actors Ryan O'Neal and the late Farrah Fawcett was charged Friday with attempted murder and a slew of charges in connection with a violent crime spree in Venice and Palms.

After O'Neal was arrested on suspicion of robbing a convenience store at knifepoint, detectives realized the curly red-haired man matched the description of a suspect wanted in a crime spree that began in early May 2 and included unprovoked attacks on five men, two of whom were stabbed. After his arrest the crime spree stopped, police said. Authorities began to suspect that O'Neal was behind the attack

O'Neal, 33, was charged with attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, criminal threats, brandishing a knife and battery, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. O'Neal has been held without bail at Men's Central Jail since his arrest May 8 for allegedly robbing a 7-Eleven store in Venice.

O'Neal matched eyewitness descriptions of the suspect in the other violent attacks as well, police said. He was scheduled for a preliminary hearing May 25 stemming from his arrest for allegedly threatening the clerk, but refused to board the bus from Men's Central Jail, according to a court spokeswoman.

Related: Farrah Fawcett's Son Accused Of Robbing Venice Convenience Store

He was then ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation and his case was transferred to a courtroom that handles mental evaluations, she said.

O'Neal could face up to 10 years in state prison if convicted of robbery, assault and drug charges connected to the May 8 incident.

O'Neal has had a series of brushes with the law.

In 2015, he was sentenced to three years in prison for violating his probation in a case in which he pleaded no contest in 2011 to one count each of possession of a firearm by a felon and heroin possession.

O'Neal was released in October 2012 from a live-in drug rehabilitation program where he had spent a year.

At the time, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Keith Schwartz instructed O'Neal to remain on electronic monitoring for 90 days, undergo random drug testing and continue to see medical professionals as part of an "intensive outpatient" program, according to one of his attorneys, Richard Pintal.

O'Neal admitted in September 2011 that he violated his probation by using drugs while in a live-in drug rehabilitation program that he eventually completed. He had been sent to the facility after pleading no contest in August 2011 to one count each of heroin possession and possession of a firearm by a felon -- charges that stemmed from a traffic stop in Santa Monica.

O'Neal was sentenced in 2011 to spend a year in the drug program and to serve five years on probation.

He was also on probation at the time for a felony drug count stemming from his April 2009 arrest in a county jail parking lot in Castaic.

In 2010, he graduated from a drug court program for a pair of drug possession cases -- one involving possession of heroin and methamphetamine and the other involving possession of methamphetamine.

City News Service and Patch staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report. Photo: Redmond O'Neal leaves court after his final progress report at LAX Courthouse on October 9, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. O'Neal will be placed on probation for drug related charges. If O'Neal violates the terms of his probation he could face a six-year jail sentence. (Photo by Toby Canham/Getty Images)