Police arrest suspect in connection with attack on woman, attempted rape in Sunnyvale home

A 32-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attacking a woman with the intent to rape her at a home in Sunnyvale over the weekend, public safety officials said Tuesday.

Jorge Diaz is in custody in connection with the attack that occurred around 3:45 a.m. Saturday at a home in the 1300 block of Yarmouth Terrace.

Diaz entered the home and attacked the woman while she was sleeping in bed. He allegedly straddled her while holding a knife to her neck and threatened to kill her if she screamed, the city’s Department of Public Safety said.

The woman believed Diaz was going to rape her and began to scream and fight back, and he repeatedly punched her and bit her forearm. The woman’s 13-year-old daughter then intervened and helped her fight the man off, who fled through a sliding glass door, public safety officials said.

The woman suffered injuries to her hands, arms and head and was treated at a hospital before being released Monday.

Around noon Monday, detectives found Diaz at an apartment in Mountain View and took him into custody for the attack. He has been booked into Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of assault with the intent to commit rape, burglary, false imprisonment and making criminal threats, public safety officials said.