The man accused of kidnapping a woman he had apparently been stalking from a convenience store in Exposition Park and beating her with a hammer was charged Friday with attempted murder.
Jose Eduardo Gaxiola Caro, 28, was arrested after a brief pursuit Wednesday on suspicion of dragging the 28-year-old clerk out of the store she worked at by her hair and forcing her into his car, according to a press release from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Caro then allegedly drove the woman to a North Hollywood cemetery before she managed to escape two hours later. He also wielded a hammer and knife in the attack, prosecutors allege.
The suspect faces a total of seven charges: attempted premeditated murder, kidnapping to commit a rape, assault with intent to commit a rape, assault with a deadly weapon, criminal threats, stalking and fleeing police.
If convicted, Caro could face life in state prison. Prosecutors have asked that his bail be set at $2.3 million.
The relationship between Caro and the woman is still unclear, but police believe the suspect had been following the victim for weeks trying to find her address and even sent flowers to the home of someone he thought she was related, Los Angeles Police Detective Gerald Harden previously told KTLA.