Man arrested for assault while attempting to burglarize woman’s home

Officers with the Temecula Police Department arrested an 18-year-old man early Saturday morning after they said he broke into a woman’s home and hit her over the head with a shovel.

Gabriel Jiminez Ramirez was taken into custody after police were called to the 44800 block of Tehachapi Pass at about 5:14 a.m. Officers said they were investigating an attempted burglary when a second burglary was reported nearby.

According to a release, a female victim was asleep in her bedroom when she awoke to find a man standing in her room. She called out to him and he hit her in the head with a folding shovel and ran away.

Police set up a perimeter and began searching for the suspect.

Ramirez was located a short while later and officers booked him into the Southwest Detention Center on two counts of attempted burglary, one count of assault with a deadly weapon, and for being under the influence of a controlled substance.

Ramirez lives in Perris.

Officers said the female victim received superficial injuries from the assault and she denied medical attention.

If you have information about the incident, you’re asked to call Officer Art Weissman with the Temecula Police Department at (951) 696-3000.