UPDATED: Machete Used In Sunday 'Ninja' Attack at South Coast Plaza


A 19-year-old plumber with blond hair and blue eyes is sitting in Orange County Jail this morning after police say he used a 25-inch machete to attack a man Sunday night in the parking lot of Orange County's most internationally acclaimed shopping center: South Coast Plaza.

Robert Carl Hopkins Jr., a Costa Mesa resident who could face charges of assault with a deadly weapon and will likely remain in custody until he can post $25,000 bail, wore what authorities say was an all-black “ninja” outfit during the incident.
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The victim, who hasn't been identified and wasn't seriously injured, called 911 around 9 p.m. to report that the attack occurred near Sears and that the assailant ran toward Maggiano's Little Italy restaurant before fleeing across the street to the Regency South Coast Village movie theater.


Police recovered the machete under a row of movie seats and arrested Hopkins.

Hopkins is expected to face a judge on Tuesday.

In November 2009, a CHP officer stopped him for speeding faster than 100 mph, according to court records.

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