SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) - One person was killed in what is being described as a violent home invasion in a Del Cerro neighborhood, authorities said Monday.
The incident happened shortly after 11:30 p.m. Sunday on Mill Peak Road near Adobe Falls Road. It was initially reported as a prowler in the backyard of a home but somehow escalated, according to San Diego police Officer Dino Delimitros.
Homicide detectives said the home invasion lasted about seven minutes while the suspect held two women hostage in a bedroom. Police said the woman who died was in her 70s. She was stabbed multiple times in the upper body after an attempted sexual assault.
The second female victim suffered cuts and bruises. She was transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Authorities said the suspect also sexually assaulted her.
A son, who was apparently home at the time, managed to escape.
Detectives said the suspect was able to enter the home after breaking a sliding glass door with body building weights.
"It's unknown if he was here to steal or sexually assault. It's unknown at this time," said Lieutenant Manny Del Toro.
The suspect attempted to break into a house next door earlier in the night but a young woman scared him away. She said he threw rocks at their house and ran through the back patio.
"There's a couch outside so he jumped over the balcony and he started throwing rocks and we called the cops,” said Aryanna Shokoor.
The suspect, Eduardo Torres of San Diego, was arrested on suspicion of murder, sexual assault and burglary. He was put in maximum restraints at the scene and was taken to the downtown police station.