Woman Arrested After Reportedly Trying To Push Teen off Bridge
A California homeless woman who tried to throw a high school cross-country runner off a bridge has been charged with attempted murder.
Stephanie Rose Redondo was charged with one count of attempted murder with an enhancement of premeditation and deliberation. That charge is a felony. She also faces misdemeanor counts of battery and assault, KTLA-TV reported.
The charges stem from an incident last month in the Orange County community of Ladera Ranch, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said.
Cross-country runners from the Capistrano Valley High School team were near the Crown Valley Bridge on Aug. 23 when they were attacked.
Redondo is accused of putting a 13-year-old boy in a headlock. Prosecutors said she tried to push the teen over the guardrail, which would have resulted in a fall of hundreds of feet.
The struggle was noticed by passersby, who reported to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department that someone was trying to jump off the bridge, according to KTLA.
When two teens tried to help their teammate, Redondo allegedly assaulted them.
The teens escaped without serious injury, officials said.
“Thankfully the juvenile victims and witnesses reacted swiftly, and no one sustained serious physical injury from this incident,” the department tweeted. “This is an important reminder of how quickly a situation can escalate and that personal safety should always be top-of-mind.”
Thankfully the juvenile victims and witnesses reacted swiftly, and no one sustained serious physical injury from this incident. This is an important reminder of how quickly a situation can escalate and that personal safety should always be top-of-mind.
— OC Sheriff, CA (@OCSheriff) August 24, 2019
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a written statement that the county has programs to help the homeless, but that his office will enforce the law.
“The Orange County District Attorney’s Office and the County of Orange has extensive services and programs to help assist the homeless and mentally ill. Help is available,” he said.
“Homeless individuals who refuse help and instead choose to commit crimes and victimize other people will be prosecuted. No one in our county should be forced to put up with someone who chooses to be a danger and a menace to our society,” he said.
Redondo is being held at the Central Women’s Jail on $500,000 bail.
This is not her first brush with the law, according to the Los Angeles Times, which said Redondo’s first crime took place in 2015.
She pleased guilty that year to a misdemeanor vandalism charge and was sentenced to three years probation, 30 days in jail and one year with a license suspension. She was also forced to enter an anger management program.
In 2017, Redondo faced an April charge of possession of a controlled substance and July charges of possession and falsely claiming to be an officer. She served 10 days in jail on those charges in 2018.
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