Teen arrested in connection to beating elderly woman

The Hemet Police Department arrested the second teenager suspected of severely beating an elderly woman at a senior living center while burglarizing her apartment.

Detectives located 14-year-old Raymond Michael Miranda in Temecula Thursday night after launching a search for the teenager, according to a statement from the Hemet Police Department.

Miranda was arrested and taken back to the Hemet Police Department.

The arrest stems from an April 17 attack at the Camelot Independent Living Facility in the 800 block of West Oakland Avenue.

Miranda’s alleged cohort, a 15-year-old boy whose identity has not been released, was arrested shortly after the assault and is being held at Southwest Juvenile Hall in Murrieta.

“The Hemet Police Department does not normally release the names and photographs of juvenile suspects, but due to the serious nature of this case, an exception was made in an effort to protect the public and aid in the capture of the suspect,” said Lt. Dean Evans.

Now that Miranda has been arrested, News Channel 3 and CBS Local 2 have decided to no longer show his photograph. We’re waiting for more information to see if he will be charged as an adult.

Lt. Evans said the 87-year-old victim was “brutally beaten” and remains hospitalized.

According to the lieutenant, at about 3 a.m. April 17, the woman was asleep and awoke to find “intruders,” who attacked her.

“Officers conducted an extensive area search, which included the use of a bloodhound. However, they were unable to locate the suspects in the area,” Evans said.

“Based on evidence located in the surrounding area, it appears that the suspects had also committed several acts of vandalism prior to entering the victim’s residence.”

According to Evans, detectives received tips pointing to the 15-year-old as one of the assailants and, with the help of anti-gang investigators, tracked him down in the 1000 block of State Street, where he was apprehended following a brief struggle.

Miranda is from San Jacinto but police said he had no fixed address, which made it more difficult to locate him following the crime. Police released a wanted poster in effort to warn the public.

The Hemet Police Department is expected to release more information regarding the charges in the near future.