On September 20, at 8:55 a.m., Escondido Police dispatch received a 911 call of a woman near Valley Pkwy and Hickory Street hacking at the sidewalk with a short handle axe. Officers were dispatched to the scene to investigate the suspicious person.
At 9:03 a.m., An Escondido Police Officer located the female on the corner of Grape Street North of Valley Pkwy. As the officer pulled onto Grape Street the female ran out into the street. The officer attempted to drive away but the woman swung the axe twice at the officer through the open driver’s window of the patrol car. The officer was struck two times on his left arm, causing a laceration. The woman ran to the parking lot of the vacant downtown Palomar Medical Center and hid inside of a utility building.
Officers surrounded the structure and at 10:08 a.m., the suspect was taken into custody. The officer who was struck by the axe was treated for his injuries at Palomar Medical Center and his injuries are not life threatening.
The suspect was identified as Aleisha Strickland and is a 28-year-old resident of Escondido. She was booked into Vista Detention Facility for PC 664/187 attempted murder and PC 245(c) – Assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer.
If you have any information regarding this crime, please contact the Escondido Police Department, 760-839-4722 or Detective Michelle Mayfield, 760-839-4926.
Follow the Escondido Police Department on social media @EscondidoPolice.
To report any suspicious activities in your neighborhood, you may contact the Police Department directly, or you may make an unidentified call on our “Anonymous Tip Line” at 760-743-TIPS (8477) or via our Web site at police.escondido.org.
