A Saugus man pleaded not guilty Wednesday to aggravated mayhem in connection with an alleged knife assault in the parking lot of The Shot Exchange on New Year’s Eve.
Brandon Lee Williams, 37, of Saugus, also denied two felony counts of assault and a criminal-threat allegation in connection with an attack that left a man permanently disfigured and disabled, according to the criminal complaint filed Jan. 12.
Williams was ordered to stay away from his alleged victims, surrender any weapons and attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, should he make bail.
Williams’ attorney filed for a bail-reduction hearing Tuesday, after Williams was taken into custody and held in lieu of more than $1 million bail.
Williams’ counsel sought $150,000 bail, house arrest and electronic monitoring for his client, which was denied.
His attorney’s argument for bail mentioned that Williams is a sole-custody caretaker in his home. The attorney described the alleged assault as a misunderstanding that occurred because his client was so heavily intoxicated.
“The bartender admitted to the police that she came outside armed with a baseball bat, and counsel believes that this action in fact, in conjunction with the victim’s admission that he came out to ‘apprehend’ Mr. Williams, exacerbated Mr. Williams’ likely alcohol-induced lack of appreciation of the level of danger he faced, and fueled his split-second decision to pull out a knife on the victim.”
Williams’ bail was later set at $560,000, according to Sheriff’s Department custody records.
Shirley Miller, spokeswoman for the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station, said the victim sustained “a significant laceration to the face,” in an email following Williams’ Jan. 8 arrest on suspicion of attempted murder.
Miller said Williams was arguing with another patron who was not the victim, inside the establishment, prior to the inside occurring outside.
“There was no interaction between the suspect and the victim inside the business. A verbal altercation occurred inside the establishment between the suspect and another patron,” Miller wrote in a Jan. 9 email. “When both parties exited the business, the argument escalated toward a physical confrontation. The victim then exited the business and attempted to intervene, at which point the suspect allegedly assaulted the victim with a folding knife.”
Williams allegedly left the scene after the assault prior to the arrival of deputies, but Miller indicated that he was “positively identified by detectives and the victim.”
The investigation was aided by the station’s Crime Impact Team, which used the suspect’s description and vehicle make to track him down.
The suspect was arrested at a gas station on Urbandale Avenue, she said.
The criminal complaint alleges Williams also threatened to kill a woman who was with the victim.
Williams remains in custody as of this story’s publication. He’s due back at the San Fernando Courthouse for a pretrial hearing in March.
