Police say the confrontation began after the suspect and a juvenile relative believed a stranger had photographed the child with a cellphone.
WALLINGFORD, Conn. — A Connecticut man faces assault and other charges after police say he attacked a stranger outside a Walmart, leaving the man unconscious during a confrontation that began over a belief that the victim had taken cellphone photographs of a juvenile.
Wallingford police charged Darel Hernandez Vargas with second-degree assault, first-degree reckless endangerment and breach of peace following an investigation into the July 25 encounter. Police said surveillance video and additional investigative work helped identify Vargas 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 were called at about 9:39 p.m. July 25 to the Walmart at 844 North Colony Road for a reported assault in the parking lot. When police and first responders arrived, they found an adult man with injuries to his head and face. Police said he was initially treated at the scene and later obtained additional medical care for injuries authorities described as serious.
Investigators said Vargas was with a juvenile family member when the two came to believe that another man in the parking lot had been taking photographs of the juvenile with his cellphone. Police said Vargas confronted the man. Authorities have not publicly established that the man actually photographed the child, making the alleged photographs part of what Vargas and the juvenile believed rather than a confirmed finding by investigators.
According to police, Vargas allegedly struck the man in the head, causing him to fall to the ground. Investigators allege Vargas continued striking the victim and kicked him in the face, leaving him unconscious. Police have not publicly identified the injured man, and reports reviewed did not provide an updated description of his medical condition beyond the serious facial and head injuries reported after the incident.
Police said Vargas and the juvenile left the parking lot after the confrontation. Members of the Wallingford Police Department’s Crime Suppression Unit reviewed Walmart surveillance footage and conducted additional investigative work that authorities said led them to identify Vargas as the suspect. Police later obtained a warrant for his arrest.
The warrant was issued Aug. 18, according to reporting based on the police investigation. Vargas subsequently turned himself in to authorities. Reports differed on the precise date used to describe his arrest or surrender, but local coverage agreed that he was charged with the same three offenses and was released after posting $15,000 bond.
The case centers on the alleged assault, not on any established wrongdoing by the injured man. Police have described the suspected cellphone photography only as something Vargas and his juvenile relative believed had happened. Authorities have not announced that investigators found photographs of the juvenile on the man’s phone or that the victim faced any criminal charge connected to the confrontation.
Second-degree assault, first-degree reckless endangerment and breach of peace are criminal accusations against Vargas and have not been proven in court. Available reports did not indicate that he had entered a plea or provide information about an attorney representing him.
Vargas was scheduled to appear in Meriden Superior Court on Aug. 27. As of Aug. 25, police had not announced additional charges or released further information about the victim’s condition or whether investigators determined that any photographs of the juvenile had actually been taken.
Author note: Last updated August 25, 2026.