Rose Bowl Concert Assault Case Returns to Pasadena Court for Probable-Cause Hearing

Nine months after his arrest made national headlines, the man charged with beating a woman unconscious at a sold-out Rüfüs Du Sol concert at the Rose Bowl is due in a Pasadena courtroom Thursday morning for a hearing that could send his case to trial.

Julio Cesar Zavala Madrigal, as the defendant is identified on the court calendar, faces a preliminary hearing at 8:30 a.m. in Dept. H at the Pasadena Courthouse, 300 E. Walnut St. He faces battery charges.

At a preliminary hearing, a judge reviews the available evidence and determines whether probable cause exists to hold a defendant for trial. If the judge finds it, the case advances. If not, the charges may be dismissed or reduced.

The charge stems from an incident on August 16, 2025, at approximately 8:30 p.m. during an opening set by Glass Beams, before Rüfüs Du Sol took the stage at the Rose Bowl.

Three people were assaulted by a man who “reportedly became agitated after a drink was spilled,” the Pasadena Police Department said in a statement at the time.

Multiple officers responded to the scene and closed down the tunnel nearest the assault to bring in emergency medical personnel, according to a Pasadena police spokeswoman.

One of the victims, an Arizona woman, was knocked unconscious and suffered injuries severe enough that she stopped breathing, according to her attorney, Andrew Talebi, as reported by NBC Los Angeles. Her fiancé was also reportedly injured while intervening.

Pasadena Fire Department paramedics treated the woman at the scene; she declined to be transported to a hospital, according to Variety.

Video of the attack was posted to social media and circulated widely, drawing attention from national outlets. Police said footage and tips from the public helped detectives identify the suspect. He was arrested five days later, on August 21, 2025, in Hawthorne and was booked on felony battery with great bodily injury, felony assault with great bodily injury, and misdemeanor battery, according to TMZ, citing Pasadena Police.

Media reports at the time of the arrest identified the suspect as Julio Cesar Lopez Zavala, 23, of Hawthorne. At his arraignment on August 25, 2025, he pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of assault and was released on his own recognizance with an ankle monitor after a judge determined he did not pose a threat to public safety, according to NBC Los Angeles.

An attorney for the defendant said in October 2025 that his client maintains his innocence.

The case has moved through several pretrial proceedings at the Pasadena Courthouse. A hearing to set the preliminary hearing date was held in March 2026, and a preliminary hearing was previously scheduled in April.

A civil lawsuit filed in October 2025 by the primary victim, Shelby Lynn Elston, and her fiancé, Cain Webb, against the Rose Bowl Operating Company and the defendant was dismissed without prejudice in November 2025, according to ABC7 Los Angeles. The criminal case is separate from the civil matter.

Thursday’s hearing is at 8:30 a.m. in Dept. H at the Pasadena Courthouse, 300 E. Walnut St. The courthouse phone number is 626-396-3314.

Nine months after video from the Rose Bowl turned a concertgoer’s night into a nationally followed case, the proceedings on Walnut Street will determine whether it goes further.