Police say the confrontation began after the suspect and a juvenile relative believed another man had photographed the child.
WALLINGFORD, Conn. — A Connecticut man faces assault and other charges after police say he attacked another man in a Walmart parking lot, leaving the victim unconscious during a confrontation over suspected cellphone photographs of a juvenile.
Wallingford police charged Darel Hernandez Vargas with second-degree assault, first-degree reckless endangerment and breach of peace after investigating the July 25 encounter. Police said surveillance footage and other investigative work led officers to identify Hernandez Vargas as a suspect after he and a juvenile family member left the area. He later turned himself in and was released after posting a $15,000 court-set bond.
Officers responded at about 9:39 p.m. July 25 to the Walmart at 844 North Colony Road after receiving a report of an assault in the parking lot. Police and first responders found an adult man with serious injuries to his head and face. Authorities said the man was initially treated at the scene and later sought additional medical care. His identity has not been publicly released.
Investigators said Hernandez Vargas was with a juvenile family member when the two came to believe that the other man had been taking photographs of the juvenile with a cellphone. Police said Hernandez Vargas confronted the man. Authorities have not publicly established that the man actually photographed the juvenile, and available reports do not indicate that investigators announced finding such photographs on the man’s phone.
Police allege Hernandez Vargas struck the man in the head, knocking him to the ground. Investigators said he struck the man again while he was down and kicked him, leaving him unconscious. Police described the victim’s facial and head injuries as serious but have not released a more recent public update on his medical condition.
After the confrontation, police said Hernandez Vargas and the juvenile left the parking lot. Members of the Wallingford Police Department’s Crime Suppression Unit reviewed Walmart surveillance footage and conducted additional investigative work that authorities said helped identify Hernandez Vargas. Police then obtained an arrest warrant. Reports identified Aug. 18 in connection with the warrant, although published accounts differed on the precise timing of his arrest or surrender.
Hernandez Vargas later surrendered to Wallingford police and was charged with the three offenses. He was released after posting the $15,000 bond. The charges are accusations and have not been proven in court. Public reports reviewed did not identify an attorney representing him or describe a plea entered in the case.
The alleged cellphone photography remains an important unresolved part of the case. Police have described it as something Hernandez Vargas and his juvenile relative believed had occurred, rather than as a finding established by investigators. Authorities have not announced charges against the injured man or publicly stated that evidence confirmed he had photographed the juvenile.
Hernandez Vargas had been scheduled to appear in state Superior Court in Meriden on Aug. 27. Reliable public reports reviewed as of Aug. 28 did not provide an outcome from that scheduled appearance or announce additional charges, and police had not released a further update on the victim’s condition.
Author note: Last updated August 28, 2026.