Woman violently attacked, suspect arrested

By the Daily Post staff

Palo Alto police have arrested a 49-year-old man who is accused of violently assaulting a woman, leaving with her with injuries that required hospitalization.

Damian Michael Perez of Palo Alto was booked into the Santa Clara County Jail for assault with a deadly weapon, a felony.

At 9:57 a.m. on Tuesday (March 14), police dispatchers received a call from the low-income Alma Place housing project at 753 Alma St. reporting a woman on the ground inside the first floor, covered in blood, calling for help.

Officers arrived and found the victim, a woman in her 50s, with what police described as signifiant injuries to her head and neck. She was rushed to a hospital where she is in stable condition and expected to live.

Police said that Perez, who had been acquainted with the victim for about a year, had allowed the victim to stay at his apartment the night before.

In the morning, Perez accused the victim of trying to steal some of his belongings. This turned into a verbal argument before the suspect struck the victim in the head and neck with an unknown metal object (possibly a hammer, which was later recovered at the scene), police said. The suspect then left the apartment, leaving the victim behind with another woman who was also present.

Officers and detectives followed leads which ultimately led to them locating Perez’s vehicle (a silver 2000 Volkswagen Jetta) parked in the 1500 block of Almaden Expressway in San Jose at about 4 p.m. Tuesday. Police arrested him without incident.