Rose Bowl Concert Assault Case Set for Pretrial Hearing Tuesday in Pasadena Court

A pretrial hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, July 21 at 8:30 a.m. in the criminal case against the man charged in an assault that left a woman unconscious during a Rüfüs Du Sol concert at the Rose Bowl last summer.

The defendant, identified as Julio Cesar Zavala Madrigal, is charged with battery, according to the court calendar.

Media reports at the time of his August 2025 arrest identified him as Julio Cesar Lopez Zavala, 23, of Hawthorne. The hearing is set for Department G at the Pasadena Courthouse, 300 East Walnut Street. The case had been heard in Department H at earlier proceedings.

The charge stems from an incident on August 16 at approximately 8:30 p.m. at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, during the Australian group’s sold-out concert. In a statement issued at the time, the Pasadena Police Department said its investigation found that three people were allegedly assaulted to varying degrees by a man who reportedly became agitated after a drink was spilled.

Video of the altercation, shared on the Instagram account The Festive Owl, circulated widely on social media and drew national coverage.

Police said video footage and tips from the public helped detectives identify the suspect, who was arrested on August 21 in Hawthorne. According to TMZ, citing Pasadena police, he was initially booked on suspicion of felony battery with great bodily injury, felony assault with great bodily injury, and misdemeanor battery. The charge listed on the current court calendar is battery.

At his arraignment on August 25  pleaded not guilty 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.

A civil lawsuit filed in October 2025 by the woman identified in court records as Shelby Lynn Elston and her fiancé, Cain Webb, named the Rose Bowl Operating Company and the defendant, alleging inadequate security at the venue. That suit was dismissed without prejudice in November 2025, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.

The case has moved through several pretrial proceedings at the Pasadena Courthouse since the August 2025 arraignment, including a hearing to set a preliminary hearing date in early 2026. A preliminary hearing is the stage at which a judge reviews the available evidence and decides whether probable cause exists to hold a defendant for trial.

The Pasadena Courthouse, at 300 East Walnut Street, is the Los Angeles County Superior Court facility with jurisdiction over cases arising in Pasadena, Altadena, Arcadia, Monrovia and Sierra Madre. The allegations described above have not been proven in court, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until convicted.