Man Charged in Restaurant Stabbing

A San Francisco man accused of stabbing a teenager at a San Leandro Chevy's restaurant on Friday night after arguing with the victim over a vacant table won't be dining out again anytime soon.

Nicholas Cordero, 24, was charged with attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon on Tuesday and is being held without bail at the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin.

Cordero appeared in Alameda County Superior Court on both Tuesday and Wednesday, and is scheduled to return to court on Aug. 23 to finalize his legal representation and possibly enter a plea.

According to San Leandro police, the victim, a 17-year-old Oakland resident, was having dinner with his grandmother at the Chevy's restaurant at the Bayfair Center at 1555 E. 14th St. when Cordero and a friend got into an argument with them over a vacant table.

San Leandro Police Lt. Jeff Tudor said Cordero and his friend had wanted to save the table for others who hadn't yet arrived.

The argument escalated into a fistfight, and Cordero then stabbed the teenager in the upper-right torso, Tudor said. The victim was taken to a nearby hospital to be treated for the wound.

Police arrested Cordero and his friend near the restaurant. Witnesses identified Cordero as the suspect, but Cordero's friend was later released and wasn't charged because there was only minimal evidence against him, police said.