San Jose Police have confirmed that Eric Hernandez, the former Cindy Chavez intern convicted in March of hacking city government emails, was arrested Tuesday for assault and battery.
According to police spokesman Sgt. Mike Sullivan, Hernandez allegedly attacked and beat a man at the Alma Community Center.
Sullivan reports that during a telephone call, the man had challenged Hernandez over the former council intern’s claims that he was president of a local neighborhood association.
“The victim said Hernandez did not have a right to say he was president, and Hernandez insisted that he was president,” Sullivan said. Hernandez allegedly tracked the man down to the neighborhood center some time around 4pm and attacked him, knocking him to the ground and punching and kicking him repeatedly. Hernandez allegedly then ran away.
Police arrested Hernandez at his home around midnight Tuesday. At press time, Sullivan could not say whether Hernandez had made bail or was still in police custody.
Hernandez, 19, was a celebrated young political activist until he was convicted in March for stealing messages from the email account of Jessica Garcia-Kohl, Councilman Sam Liccardo’s girlfriend and former chief of staff. Hernandez forwarded those emails to an anonymous website apparently affiliated with the South Bay Labor Council.
Previous coverage:
Hernandez makes bail quickly
Hernandez acted alone, police believe
Hernandez hires superattorney Steve Manchester
Hernandez charge reduced to misdemeanor
It’s a sad day when our beloved, Tom McEnery, begins to stoop so low in order to get back at his labor foes. While the hispanic kid has violent tendencies and is prone to commit crimes, what does a fight at a community center have to do with the fact that Hernandez was a former Chavez and Liccardo intern. Are you somehow connecting his time as a Chavez intern to his recent crime? This is simple tomfoolery which is reminiscint of the anticts which may have occured with young Irish imigrant gangsters of the 1800s. Tom can’t you see yourself in Eric? We can see similarities in every claim you make. You attempt to paint Gonzalez just as your fellow countrymen who ran Tammany Hall, unfortunately for you no similarieity exist. You and your Tammany Folks hold the distinguished honor of being the biggest corrupt machine in US history.
1 – Not sure what you are talking about. Once somebody is linked to a public official and gets into trouble (as Hernandez has—more than once) they will always be linked to the public official(s) It has nothing to do with being Hispanic (nice try, though).
As for your last sentence, which of course is completely lacking in any factual basis, I find it puzzling as to just what you are talking about.
Wait, didn’t he lask work for Sam Liccardo? Shouldn’t the first line mention that fact? He got in trouble while working for Liccardo or right after he left Liccardo’s, so that means Liccardo is corrupt… Right? No, no, he interned for Cindy Chavez before Liccardo—let’s not mention Liccardo’s name.
SJI is getting worse than the Murky News.
It’s bizarre that young Mr Hernandez would react violently to having his volunteer credentials questioned—not exactly the sort of thing behind the typical testosterone surge. That he still values such a thing to that degree suggests that a political future remains in his sights, which leads one to wonder who’s been whispering in the ear of this very publicly disgraced little worm?
But the most troubling aspect involved here is that Hernandez committed this crime so soon after his arrest and conviction for dirty tricks, at a time when he should, presumably, still be on probation, which raises some serious questions about what makes this young man tick. This was not a crime committed in the heat of passion, which indicates that despite his previous experience with the criminal justice system, Hernandez was incapable of suppressing his urge to track down and physically assault his victim. However long the lag time between the telephone affront and the assault, it proved not long enough for him to stop himself and consider the wrongfulness of his intentions, the ramifications due to his previous conviction, or the impact another conviction would have on his own future.
This boy’s got a problem, and neither his ethnicity nor his political affiliations are at issue. What is at issue are his personal values and his conduct, and judging from his recent past, this formerly “promising” young man is a dangerously ambitious, loose cannon who will not benefit from another dose of judicial leniency.
The apparent defense of this guy’s activities is puzzling. #‘s 3 and 5—you seem to be an apologist for these recent thug-like activities. What are the rest of us missing? What is so “sleazy” about reporting what happened. He interned for Chavez—should that not be reported? He was looking for “dirt” on Liccardo’s girlfriend. Should that not be reported? Just what is your problem with this?
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#6 Just wondering—that’s what this “article” would lead you to believe. You do know he also interned for Liccardo, right? You probably didn’t, and that’s my point. Don’t you think the article should mention that? Eric had the email password to Liccardo’s chief of staff/girlfriend’s city email account because he set up the accounts as a Liccardo intern. I’m not making excuses for Eric’s behavior—I think he deserves the punishment he receives and hopefully learns from it and matures. All I was doing was pointing out this article’s obvious bias.
“John Smith” (#1) It’s funny if you think I’m a shill for Tom McE. I promise you, that’d definitely be big news to him.
SAB (#3 & 7)—You are straining so hard to find bias that your own biases are popping out. You say that the article does not mention Liccardo—huh? And the fact that Hernandez was a Chavez intern is just plain newsworthy, as many here understand
Simon (#5), most of the discourse on this thread and on SJI in general is entirely civil and pretty smart. The nasty attack that you level here doesn’t really fit, so I for one won’t miss you.
i once had a cuz named eric johnson. hella fast kid. could outrun lightning if lightnening ever had da gall to try n track’m down.
dis must be another eric johnson cuz dis one denser den a 3 day ol biscuit and slower an a cow in delta mud…
how you gonna lead wit cindy chavez? howz dat got to do wit dis dopey teenager? aint he been workin for sam befor he got caught wit his shenanigans? by da by, i tink he a low down teen crook who in da pocket of dirty labor tricksters who are low nuff to use a kid for spyin’..but anyhow,
y’all need to chek yoself. you live in a small city with small minded people and you contributin to stupidity by leadin on chavez. dats juz plain childish.
‘m beginning to see you a tamany fat cat child—maybe some love child from da former tamany hall fat cat mcenery, who gots a grin like a wicked chesire wit a bird in his mouth.
grow up son and go study reportin’ fo you play wit da big boys. otherwise i’ma hafta slap you silly wit my verbal assaults. put ya in yo place, son.