A San Jose area man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder stemming from an attack on a doctor entering Lompoc Valley Medical Center, police Sgt. Kevin Martin said Wednesday.
At 6:45 a.m. Tuesday, Lompoc police received a 9-1-1 call about an assault near the hospital.
Officers discovered that a suspect had approached the victim from behind, placing a rope around his neck, and pulling him to the ground, Martin said.
The suspect, identified as Long Lu, continued to hold the rope until the victim passed out, Martin added.
Once the victim passed out the suspect grabbed the doctor’s property and ran away.
The victim regained consciousness and began to yell for help as witnesses saw the suspect flee the area.
A search of the area where the suspect was last seen near the 1400 block of East Ocean Avenue resulted in officers finding a person that matched his description.
Police said witnesses positively identified the man who was taken into custody.
Lu was booked into the Lompoc Jail, with bail set at $1 million.
The victim, whose name and age were not released, was treated at the Lompoc hospital for injuries sustained during the attack.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.