New Bedford man sentenced to prison after violent attack at Fall River establishment

A 27-year-old New Bedford man was sentenced to serve four to five years in state prison after pleading guilty to charges related to a violent episode that took place inside a Fall River cafe, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced.

Christian Guerrero pleaded guilty in Fall River Superior Court to indictments charging him with two counts of assault and battery with serious bodily injury, two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and one count each of assault with a dangerous weapon and operating under the influence causing serious bodily injury.

On March 16, 2019, Guerrero was highly intoxicated at JC’s Cafe in Fall River when he got into an altercation with two other male patrons at the bar. The fight ignited into a brawl that consumed the entire bar, all of which was captured by video surveillance. Guerrero could be seen punching and kicking individuals on the ground. He then grabbed a bottle and threw it at the head of a female who had already been knocked to the ground. The bottle exploded upon making contact with the woman’s head. Guerrero then kicked her while she was still on the ground. The female victim testified at the grand jury that she sustained a concussion as a result of the assault.

Guerrero eventually left the cafe and went outside, where he encountered the first two men he was fighting with while inside. Guerrero picked up a boulder which was being used as a doorstop. He then ran at one of the male victims and smashed the boulder over his head, knocking the victim out cold. The defendant then picked the boulder back up and threw it at the second male victim, while that victim was lending aid to the first victim. In this instance, the boulder narrowly missed the second victim. After realizing he missed his target, Guerrero charged the second victim and kicked him the head. He then began to stomp on the heads of both male victims as they lay unconscious on the ground.

Guerrero then fled to his vehicle with his girlfriend in the front seat just as Fall River Police were arriving on scene and blocking the entry/exit to the cafe. The defendant drove up on the sidewalk in order to escape the scene, accelerated up Bedford Street and made it only a few blocks before he crashed his vehicle into a jersey barrier at a high rate of speed. Guerrero’s girlfriend described him as being highly intoxicated at the time. Guerrero’s girlfriend shattered her wrist as a result of the crash. Guerrero then ran from the scene before being apprehended a short time later.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Matthew Friedel and the state prison sentence was imposed by Judge Reffi Yessayan. Upon completion of his prison sentence, Guerrero will be placed on supervised probation for an additional three years.

“This is a scene out of the Wild West, with extraordinary acts of violence being committed by the defendant, the likes of which I have rarely seen. Through the grace of god no one was seriously injured or killed,” District Attorney Quinn said.