By SDCN Editor
Encinitas, CA–A man was apprehended Saturday for suspected attempted theft at a retail store and assaulting bystanders with a knife when they tried to intervene, authorities said.
According to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, the suspect, Hernan Padilla entered the Home Depot in Encinitas at 10 a.m. and attempted to leave without paying for items. When three bystanders intervene, Padilla brandishes a knife and stabs one of them before fleeing the scene.
When deputies arrived, they applied a tourniquet to the injured bystander’s leg. The victim was transported to the hospital by the Encinitas Fire Department. Despite establishing a perimeter, deputies were initially unable to locate Padilla.
Later, while deputies collected further evidence at the original crime scene, an individual reported seeing Padilla in the area. A new perimeter was established, and Padilla was arrested in the 7900 block of Anillo Way in Carlsbad.
Padilla, who sustained injuries while evading deputies, was treated and then booked into the Vista Detention Facility on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon.
