A homeless parolee who allegedly went on a drug-fueled rampage in El Cajon, injuring a woman and terrorizing a customer in a store, was back behind bars Thursday.
Tony Lemont Sims Jr., 42, allegedly began his crime spree Wednesday evening by knocking on the door of a rented room at a motel near the intersection of Oakdale Avenue and Second Street and attacking an “elderly” guest when she opened it, according to the El Cajon Police Department.
“He grabbed the woman’s arm and pushed her down to the ground, causing significant but non-life-threatening injuries,” ECPD Lt. Keith MacArthur said.
Sims then allegedly tore up the room, destroying a television set in the process, before leaving the motel and running to a nearby fast-food restaurant, MacArthur said. There, the suspect allegedly jumped into a drive-thru window, stole a knife and fled with it to a nearby grocery store.
“Witnesses told police (Sims) threatened another person with the knife while he was inside the store,” MacArthur said.
When patrol personnel arrived in the area, they found the suspect outside the market, hiding in a patch of shrubbery, according to police. Officers who arrested him suspected that he was allegedly under the influence of drugs, MacArthur said.
“Sims has had multiple prior arrests for violence and drugs and is on active parole for robbery,” the lieutenant said.
Officers booked Sims into San Diego Central Jail on suspicion of burglary, elder abuse, being under the influence of a controlled substance and violating terms of his parole. He was being held without bail pending arraignment, scheduled for Friday.
– City News Service
