Attempted Robbery and Assault Lead to Arrest

A 38-year-old man, Yemane Abraham, was arrested July 10 for allegedly attempting to rob one woman and then proceeding to batter another woman later that same evening.

According to police, around 7:40 p.m. on Anacapa Street, Abraham tried to steal a 33-year-old woman’s purse. When the woman hit Abraham with her elbow, he reportedly responded by striking her on the head with a coffee cup and running away. While listening to the victim’s account of what transpired, Officer Tiffany Keller was alerted to a possible second incident.

The second victim, a 23-year-old woman, recounted to Officer Keller that she had been walking eastbound on West Mission Street around 7:55 p.m. when a man she later identified as Abraham walked by her and then spit in her face. Although she tried to defend herself with her shoe, Abraham allegedly kicked the woman in her shins and jammed his elbow into her eye and nose, after which he walked away.

Almost an hour later, Officer Tyler Larson — another of the officers who responded to the reported robbery — saw Abraham walking on the 2200 block of State Street. Larson detained the man, who the victims later identified as their attacker.

Although Abraham claimed his arrest was a case of mistaken identity, he was booked into the County Jail on $50,000 bail. The 23-year-old victim was taken to Cottage Hospital to assess her injuries.