Palm Springs Police Release Photo Of Home Invasion Suspect
Palm Springs police released the mugshot on Thursday of a suspect being held in a weekend stabbing and home invasion robbery.
Justin Scarff, of Indio, is behind bars, held on $230,000 bail, according to jail records.
Police spokesman Mike Kovaleff said the Scarff walked into a neighborhood garage around 5 p.m. on Saturday on the 1800 block of La Paloma, which is just south of S. Palm Canyon Dr, between Sunrise and Camino Real.
Inside, he stabbed a 75-year-old man, assaulted a 64-year-old woman inside the home and ran off.
Police arrived, took down the man’s description and sent out a public email alert to help track him down.
“Palm Springs Police Department is alerting residents to a dangerous situation,” the alert read. “Home invasion robbery in the area of Via Isla and Twin Palms. Suspect: Hispanic male adult, 509 – 510, average build, tattoos, goatee, long-sleeve, white shirt, blue jeans, possibly carrying a blue duffel bag, possibly covered in blood.”
Kovaleff said someone who received the message called police, and a K9 ground search turned up some of the items stolen from La Paloma.
Soon afterward, a rider of a SunLine Bus reported seeing the man onboard, and police met it at the intersection of Highway 111 and Date Palm Drive and arrested Scarff at around 6:15 p.m.
Two days after the incident, few details were available about Scarff.
Palm Springs police said they will not provide his picture yet, as it may jeopardize their case.
They did provide a list of charges Scarff could face when he is arraigned on Wednesday: attempted murder, kidnapping, elder abuse, mayhem, false imprisonment, assault with a deadly weapon and parole violations.
The man who was stabbed was taken to Desert Regional Medical Center, and was released on Sunday. The woman, who suffered moderate injuries, was treated at the scene.
