A homeless man accused of trying to kill a pedestrian in an attack near a Riverside shopping center must stand trial for attempted murder and other charges, a judge ruled Friday.
Adam Edward Chang, 42, was arrested last July following a Riverside Police Department investigation.
At the end of a preliminary hearing Friday at the Riverside Hall of Justice, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Valerie Navarro found there was sufficient evidence to bound Chang over for trial on the attempted murder count, as well as a sentence-enhancing allegation of using a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony.
The judge scheduled a post-preliminary hearing arraignment for May 17 at the downtown courthouse and left the defendant’s bail set at $1 million.
He is being held at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning.
According to Riverside police Officer Ryan Railsback, about 7:30 a.m. on July 21, the victim, identified only as a Riverside man, was walking in the area of Central and De Anza avenues, near the Riverside Plaza, where multiple stores and restaurants are located, when he was confronted by Chang.
Railsback alleged the defendant pulled a sharp-edged weapon — the type wasn’t specified — and plunged it into the victim several times without provocation.
Witnesses called 911 as the man collapsed, and patrol officers swarmed the location, quickly locating Chang and taking him into custody without incident, according to the police spokesman.
The victim was taken to Riverside Community Hospital, where he spent several weeks recovering from the life-threatening wounds.
Railsback said Chang came from Northern California, but it was unclear how long he had been in Riverside.
The defendant has no documented prior misdemeanor or felony convictions in Riverside County.