Santa Ana home invasion robbery suspect arrested

Police have arrested a man on suspicion of breaking into a Santa Ana home, attacking a resident and then stealing her car.

A patrol officer familiar with the case spotted the suspect, Victor Martinez, 35, at about 1:30 p.m. Friday, April 19, near the 1000 block of North Flower Street, according to a news release from the Santa Ana Police department. It said he was arrested and booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, burglary and robbery.

Investigators believe he is the man who entered a house on the 900 block of West Riviera Drive at about 5 a.m. on Thursday, April 18, and allegedly attacked a woman who had been asleep in a family room, said the release.

Authorities said the suspect struck the resident with a chair, then grabbed her by the throat and demanded her car keys. A surveillance camera recorded the thief stealing the woman’s vehicle, which later crashed into a center divider on the I-5 Freeway near Main Street.

The driver fled from the collision on foot, but California Highway Patrol and Santa Ana Police officers were not able to immediately locate him.