A convicted felon accused of fatally punching a 31-year-old man during a street altercation that the victim was only observing must stand trial for assault resulting in death and other offenses, a judge ruled Tuesday.
Mike Mendez, 37, of Riverside allegedly caused the death of George Sifontes of Rialto last year.
Following a preliminary hearing Tuesday morning at the Riverside Justice Center, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Samuel Diaz found there was sufficient evidence to bound Mendez over for trial on the assault count, as well as sentence-enhancing allegations of inflicting great bodily injury and causing injuries that left the victim comatose.
The judge scheduled a post-preliminary hearing arraignment for Aug. 6 and permitted the defendant to remain free on a $100,000 bond.
According to Riverside Police Department spokesman Officer Ryan Railsback, the attack occurred at 2:30 a.m. Oct. 7, 2023, near the intersection of Lemon Street and University Avenue, within a couple blocks of the downtown civic center.
Railsback said Sifontes was observing a confrontation when Mendez allegedly blindsided him with a punch, causing the victim to collapse onto the pavement, where his head struck hard.
The assailant fled, and an ambulance was summoned to the location.
Railsback said Sifontes was taken to Riverside Community Hospital, where he died from the head trauma 10 days later.
The reason for the street conflict, and the motive for Mendez allegedly striking the victim, were not explained.
Railsback said detectives spent about a month trying to identify the assailant, ultimately gathering sufficient evidence to obtain an arrest warrant for Mendez, who was arrested without incident in early November.
He has prior convictions in another jurisdiction that weren’t listed in court records.