2nd suspect arrested in brutal assault of San Francisco community center director

SAN FRANCISCO -- Police in San Francisco arrested a second suspect in the brutal assault outside a community center in the city's Fillmore District earlier this month.

On July 15, James Spingola, the director of the Ella Hill Hutch Community Center, was beaten by two men who struck him multiple times with a wooden plank after he had asked them not to congregate at the center's front door.

Police said the 61-year-old Spingola lost consciousness during the attack and was treated at a hospital for a fractured eye socket and lacerations to his face that required stitches.  

Officers arrived at the scene to find one of the suspects detained by witnesses. Nelson Martinez, 24, of San Francisco, was arrested on suspicion of three counts of assault with a deadly weapon, assault by means to cause great bodily injury, conspiracy, an enhancement for causing great bodily injury, and on two out-of-county warrants.

On Wednesday at 2:09 p.m., officers again responded to the 1000 block of McAllister Street after receiving a report the second suspect in the assault had returned to the area.

Andrew Morelopena, 21, of San Francisco, was arrested with the help of bystanders and witnesses who had located the suspect, later identified as Morelopena. Police said Morelopena was taken into custody following a brief struggle.

Morelopena was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, assault by means to cause great bodily injury, aggravated battery causing serious bodily injury, two counts of possession of illegal drug paraphernalia and willfully resisting arrest.

Spingola worked with youth at the Ella Hill Hutch Community Center, and tried to keep children from a life of violence. 

"He attends our church, he attends Third Baptist Church and he directs the Ella Hill Hutch Community Center, a program that's doing an outstanding job of training children, teaching them," said Dr. Amos Brown, president of San Francisco's NAACP. "We don't need this kind of destructive behavior in a community that's already challenged." 

Brown said the two recently spoke about violence, drug use and homelessness in their community. 

"I knew it was coming, I wasn't surprised. We had talked about this personally," he added.