Felon Charged In Hammer Attack At Garden Grove Bar

GARDEN GROVE, CA — A 36-year-old felon was charged Thursday with attacking another man with a hammer in a Garden Grove bar, leaving the victim battling for his life.

Jesse Bizarro was charged with attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon, along with sentencing enhancements for attempted premeditated murder, inflicting great bodily injury on the victim, the personal use of a deadly weapon and committing an offense while released from custody, according to court records.

He was being held on $1 million bail, according to police and jail records.

Bizarro is accused of attacking the 40-year-old resident of Garden Grove about 8:45 p.m. Tuesday at the bar in the 13000 block of Garden Grove Boulevard, police said. The victim was still listed in critical condition Wednesday, police said. Police were working to determine what provoked the attack, saying Bizarro did not appear to have any prior relationship with the alleged victim.

At the time of the Tuesday night altercation, Bizarro was free on $5,000 bail in a vandalism case out of Anaheim. He was charged with felony vandalism Aug. 21, and was able to post bond and was released Aug. 30, according to court records.

Bizarro has two prior strike convictions, according to court records. He pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon and gang activity in January 2007, and he pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon in 2004, according to court records.