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Felony Charges Filed Against Suspect In Savage Beating At Orinda Party

ORINDA (CBS SF) -- Felony charges have been filed against a man in connection a February fight at an illicit Orinda house party that left a victim with an injury he is still hospitalized for, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Falealea Tytus Maka, 21, was charged with attempted murder and aggravated mayhem along with an enhancement for causing a person to become comatose and/or suffer a brain injury, Deputy District Attorney Melissa Smith said.

The charges stem from a Feb. 13 incident that Maka was arrested for in unincorporated Alameda County on Wednesday, according to the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office.

At 1:53 a.m. the date of the incident, Maka was allegedly involved in a fight that broke out during a house party on Camino Encinas.

The house was being leased as a short-term rental, which complicated the investigation.

The 5-bedroom, $2 million home was listed on Airbnb as a short-term rental for $875 a night. The owner advertised it as having been "used for filming" and noted that it "even hosted music stars."

When the owner rented it out, it was to someone who claimed to be hosting a family get together and barbecue. But that's not what neighbors in the quiet neighborhood heard and saw late that night and into the morning.

"When I drove out in the morning, I saw the police," said a neighbor who didn't want to be identified. "There was crime scene tape, blood in the parking lot."

KPIX 5 has learned the rental transaction was never made through Airbnb. Instead, the renter offered cash to the owner after claiming her credit card wasn't working.

Authorities told KPIX 5 they believe most of the guests at the party came from Alameda County.

Sheriff's officials said Maka knocked the person he was fighting unconscious and continued to beat the victim afterwards.

The victim, who is still in the hospital after suffering a serious head injury initially reported as life-threatening, is a 21-year-old Florida man who was attending Chabot College in Hayward, according to the sheriff's office.

Maka was later identified as a suspect and arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service as well as a unit with the sheriff's office. He also had an outstanding arrest warrant in Utah in connection with a home invasion and armed robbery, sheriff's officials said.

He has been booked into Martinez Detention Facility on suspicion of attempted murder and is being held on $2 million bail.

He's slated to make his first court appearance in Martinez for an arraignment at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.

TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Bay City News Service contributed to this report.

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