PITTSBURG — A Bay Point resident is set to soon be released from prison in a case where police say he knocked out a man’s eyeball during a fight.
Elijah Reynante, 28, of Bay Point, may have entered into a September 2023 conflict for arguably noble reasons, but things took a nasty turn, according to police. Reynante reportedly witnessed the victim shoving a woman to the ground during a domestic dispute, then admonished him for it and challenged him to a fight.
But when Reynante was losing the fight, he picked up a shovel and struck the man in the face, knocking out the victim’s eyeball, authorities said. He was later charged with mayhem, but pleaded no contest to assault as part of a deal with prosecutors.
The deal included a three-year prison term, but a judge awarded Reynante nearly two years of credit for time served. He was sentenced last November, vacating a trial that had been set for February, and authorities took him to North Kern State Prison, where he remains, records show.
Reynante is set to get out of prison in August, according to California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation records.