Charges dropped in knife fight outside homeless shelter

BY BRADEN CARTWRIGHT
Daily Post Staff Writer

Prosecutors have dropped charges against a man who was in a knife fight outside the LifeMoves homeless shelter in Mountain View, court records show.

Deputy District Attorney John Imobersteg said evidence showed the victim in the case was actually the dominant aggressor, and that Daniel Lopez Preciado, 34, of Menlo Park, was defending himself.

The fight happened around noon on April 25, 2024, in the parking lot at 2566 Leghorn St., police said.

Rudy Reyes, 38, of Mountain View, was upset that his ex-girlfriend was dating Lopez Preciado and getting meth from him, police said.

Lopez Preciado told police that he pulled a knife out and swung it at Reyes three times to defend himself from being punched, Officer Ed Hammon wrote in his police report.

Lopez Preciado was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a dagger. The first charge was dropped because Lopez Preciado had a “valid self-defense claim,” and the second charge was dropped because the only way police knew about the knife was because Lopez Preciado was defending himself, Imobersteg said in an email.

LifeMoves spokeswoman Sarah Fields said shelter workers followed protocol by staying out of the fight, calling 911 and reminding residents to avoid conflicts. The fight broke out on the public sidewalk and street behind the shelter, Fields said previously.