A Sacramento man charged with stabbing two men and committing a robbery aboard an Amtrak train in Fairfield in 2024 and declared mentally incompetent to stand trial, was ordered committed to a state hospital this week in Solano County Superior Court.
During a hearing Monday, Judge Janice M. Williams found Brandon Torres-Mendoza, 25, incompetent to stand trial and ordered him placed in a state hospital for a maximum of two years, or until his competency is restored.
Criminal proceedings against Torres-Mendoza remain suspended.
Deputy Public Defender Sormeh Yasaie represented Torres-Mendoza, while Deputy District Attorney Crystal Soto Smith appeared on behalf of the Solano County District Attorney’s Office.
The ruling falls under California Penal Code section 1368, which prohibits criminal defendants from being tried or punished while mentally incompetent.
Torres-Mendoza faces multiple felony charges stemming from a Sept. 8, 2024, incident aboard an Amtrak train entering Fairfield. He was charged with two counts of assault with a deadly weapon other than a firearm, including one count with an allegation of causing great bodily injury. He also faces felony charges of robbery, possession of brass knuckles and resisting arrest, along with several sentencing enhancements.
At the time of the incident, Torres-Mendoza was a previously convicted felon who was on probation, court records show.
According to a Fairfield Police Department social media post issued after the incident, dispatchers received a call from an Amtrak conductor at about 10:30 p.m. reporting that a man later identified as Torres-Mendoza had allegedly stabbed a passenger and possibly was holding another person hostage.
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The conductor told dispatchers the train was approaching the Fairfield-Vacaville Amtrak station and requested police assistance.
When officers boarded the train and searched for the suspect, they found a 21-year-old man suffering from two stab wounds to the chest. The victim was transported to a local hospital.
Police then encountered a second man holding a knife but soon determined he was another victim.
According to police, the 24-year-old victim had taken the weapon away from Torres-Mendoza and was holding him at bay until officers arrived.
Torres-Mendoza was arrested shortly after 11 p.m. in the 4900 block of Vanden Road, according to jail records.
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