A registered sex offender was in custody Tuesday after allegedly assaulting an 82-year-old woman with the intention to rape her in Riverside, authorities said.
The attack was reported shortly before 9 p.m. Thursday in the Canyon Crest neighborhood where the suspect, an acquaintance of the victim, arrived at her residence and asked for help, said Riverside Police Department Officer Ryan Railsback.
"Once inside, he committed the assault against the elderly victim," Railsback said.
The woman was able to fight him off and call police after he fled but she did sustain visible injuries to her body and face, Railsback said.
A SWAT team assisted police in arresting the suspect, 46-year-old Angel Joseph Garcia of Riverside Monday, police said.
Garcia, who police said is a transient and registered sex offender known to frequent Perris and Moreno Valley, was later booked into the Robert
Presley Detention Center on suspicion of assault with the intent to commit rape, Railsback said.
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Garcia was being held in lieu of a $1 million bail and is expected to appear in court Thursday, according to online inmate records.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact Det. Karla Beler at (951) 353-7125 or kbeler@riversideca.gov.
