A 29-year-old man was behind bars Friday after his arrest in San Diego in connection with a pair of assaults on women in Los Angeles.
Anthony Jones was arrested late Thursday, after allegedly fleeing to San Diego following the attacks that occurred last Saturday, police said.
In a statement, police said investigators are “not ruling out the likelihood that the women may have been sexually assaulted.” No other details were immediately released.
It was unclear what led police to identify Jones as the suspect in the attacks near the Venice Canals.
Los Angeles Police Department Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton said Jones was brought back to his city and booked on suspicion of attempted murder.
According to jail records, Jones was being held in lieu of $3.25 million bail.
“I am proud of the tireless work and dedication to public safety demonstrated by all involved in this case, especially our specialized detectives,” LAPD Chief Dominic Choi said in a statement.
LAPD officials said earlier the first attack occurred around 10:30 p.m. in the 2700 block of Strongs Drive, where a woman was approached from behind and struck with a blunt object, leaving her unconscious. The suspect attacked another woman about an hour later as she walked near the Sherman Canal.
Police said both victims sustained significant injuries, although their current conditions were unknown. The Los Angeles Times reported the women had been clubbed. KTLA described Jones as a transient and said one of the victims is in a coma.
A GoFundMe page established on behalf of the other victim, a 54-year-old Mary Klein – who also spoke to KTLA – said she lost several teeth, suffered eight fractures to her jaw, a laceration on the back of her head and multiple contusions on her face and neck.
“She will require many surgeries and is currently getting her jaw wired shut for at least a month,” the page states.
The woman had recently lost her health insurance, according to the fundraiser, and was in the process of obtaining a new policy through Covered California, but had not completed it.
– City News Service
