Fiesta Days suspect, 18, pleads not guilty

An 18-year-old Suisun City man charged with a shooting during Sunday night's Fiesta Days event in Vacaville pleaded not guilty to attempted murder during his first appearance in Superior Court in Fairfield.

Appearing in Department 21 for jail arraignment, Herman Torres-Bernal waived his formal arraignment as his attorney, Public Defender Max Fuentes, stood nearby.

Speaking on his behalf, Fuentes also said his client not only pleaded not guilty to the attempted murder charge but also not guilty to assault with a semiautomatic firearm and assault with a firearm.

Deputy District Attorney Kevin N. Tali, who represented the people, asked for $750,000 bail and Commissioner Robert Q. Warshawsky granted it.

Warshawsky, whose courtroom is in the Hall of Justice, then assigned the case to Department 11 and ordered Torres Bernal to return to Judge William J. Pendergast's courtroom at 8:30 a.m. June 8 for a readiness conference and at 9:30 a.m. June 10 for a preliminary hearing in Justice Center in Fairfield.

Torres-Bernal, arrested Sunday night in the 700 block of East Monte Vista Avenue, remains in Solano County Jail.

The gunfire, which wounded one, caused a brief panic and ultimately forced early closure of the event in Andrews Park.

Tensions started around 7:45 p.m. when Torres-Bernal and another 18-yearold man got into an argument and words escalated into a physical fight, Vacaville police Sgt. Frank Piro said. Torres-Bernal then allegedly pulled a firearm, Piro said, and shot the victim, a Fairfield resident, in the leg.

Officers patrolling the carnival area heard gunfire and went to investigate. They found the victim and performed medical aid. The victim was subsequently transported to a local hospital.

Meanwhile, an off-duty Vacaville officer caught the suspect near the Fiesta Garden, Piro said.

Torres-Bernal was arrested and booked into Solano County Jail on suspicion of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and on a juvenile probation violation.

Piro confirmed reports of a panic-fueled stampede following the shooting, and social media reports were rife with tales of the violence and its aftermath.

Fiesta officials Sunday night confirmed reports of the shooting, assuring that no one else was injured and that festivities set for Monday, the final day of Fiesta Days, would continue. And they did.