Norco man accused of attempting to kill former landlord

A 27-year-old Norco resident with a history of violence was arrested Friday, Dec. 6, after investigators say he attacked his 83-year-old former landlord and led deputies on a pursuit.

The incident began just after 4 p.m. when deputies went to a home in the 1700 block of Hillside Avenue in Norco to investigate a report of an assault. The victim said a former tenant, Paul Stephen Otto, had entered the property to steal a car, a Riverside County sheriff’s news release said. The victim reported being choked and battered by Otto.

Otto fled in his own car was and spotted in front of the Norco sheriff’s station on Hamner Avenue. Otto sped away when deputies tried to detain him, the release said, but crashed and disabled his car several blocks to the south at Hamner and First Street. Otto was arrested and was treated at a hospital before being booked into jail on suspicion of attempted murder, disobeying a court order, assault on a person causing great bodily injury, cruelty to a dependent adult and burglary. He was being held in lieu of $1 million bail.

The landlord was treated at the scene. No one else was injured in the collision, the release said.

Otto has previous convictions for false imprisonment of an elder, criminal threats, violating a court order to prevent domestic violence, violating a stay-away order (twice) and inflicting corporal injury (twice), according to Superior Court records.