UPDATE: Child Assault Suspect Arraigned; Held Without Bail

A Union City man police say attacked a 2-year-old in a store Wednesday was charged Thursday afternoon with committing lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14, attempted unlawful intercourse with a child under the age of 10 and assault with the intent to commit rape.

An Alameda County Superior Court judge this afternoon ordered the defendant, 36-year-old registered sex offender Eugene Melendres Ramos, to be held without bail.

He scheduled a Monday morning hearing for Ramos to enter a plea.

Prosecutors at the brief arraignment amid tight security at the Fremont Hall of Justice said Ramos should not go free on bail because he is "an extreme danger to society."

Outside the courtroom, Deputy District Attorney Angela Backers said this case is among the most serious her department has seen.

"The defendant is obviously a danger to society. He ripped the diaper off a 2-year-old girl and tried to rape her," Backers said.

Ramos' attorney refused to comment as she left the court.

Ramos was previously charged in January 2003 with sexually assaulting a 7-year-old child in Hayward.  In that case, Ramos initially was ruled mentally incompetent to stand trial and committed to the Napa State Hospital.

In 2005, Ramos was found to be competent to stand trial. He eventually was convicted in that case and sentenced to four years in state prison.  

Because he had completed his sentence, he was not placed on probation or parole when he was released, according to Union City Police Lt. Kelly Musgrove.

Until Wednesday's attack, Ramos was living in legal compliance with his sex-offender status. He was required to register as a sexual  offender with the Union City Police Department, which he did in May of this year, Musgrove said.

The prior conviction, which is a strike offense, could significantly increase Ramos' state prison term if he's convicted of the new charges, Alameda County district attorney spokeswoman Teresa Drenick said. Prosecutors estimated Ramos' maximum sentence at 21 years if he is convicted on all three charges.

Union City police say Ramos at about 1 p.m. Wednesday inside the  store in the Union Square Marketplace at 1720 Decoto Road.

The victim was with her grandmother and aunt at the store. When they went to return a ribbon to a Christmas-themed aisle, the girl walked around the aisle and out of view. That's when she was grabbed by Ramos, police said.

Less than a minute later, the grandmother and aunt noticed the girl was missing and found her pinned down by Ramos in the next aisle, police said.

Authorities say Ramos ran away as the girl's relatives gave chase. Outside, the store, two men say they saw the suspect running away and tackled him. They held him down until police arrived.

Ramos' mother told KTVU in an off-camera interview that her son was "very, very sorry" and did not know what he was doing. The family told KTVU that Ramos suffers from anxiety and depression and was not taking his medication.

DeMario Hawkins, a 24-year-old solicitor collecting money for the homeless outside the store,  was one of the good Samaritans who helped. At first he thought it was a purse-snatching.

He chased Ramos along the pedestrian pathway toward the rear exit of the Union Square Marketplace shopping center, catching up with him between the shopping center and BART station.

He grabbed Ramos by his jacket, and Ramos attempted to hit him. Hawkins evaded the punch and struck the suspect with a right hook.

Sammy Johnson, a Dollar Tree patron, caught up with the two and tackled Ramos, sat on him and dialed 9-1-1. Both men were honored by Union City officials at a press conference Thursday.

Johnson, who recently moved to the Bay Area from Florida, said when he saw the desperate look upon the face of the victim's grandmother, he just felt he had to help.

He doesn't feel like a hero but does think that God put him in the right place at the right time. (Click here for a of him showing how the suspect was caught.)

Hawkins, who has been homeless recently, is back at work outside a Walgreens store in San Mateo, where he says several people have recognized him and thanked him.

"I grabbed him by the shirt," he said while collecting donations outside the store. "And said, 'Hold on, wait for the lady. Wait right here.' "

Hawkins said he is living at a drop-in center in Oakland but hopes to have "my own spot one day. Like a studio or SRO." The charitable program he works for stations him at spots around the Bay Area to solicit funds for the needy.

He remains modest about his role in the Union City incident.

"I wouldn't say (I'm) a hero, I would just say a helping hand."

Patch San Mateo Editor Don Frances and Bay City News contributed to this report.