Atwater woman hospitalized after assault

An argument between a husband and wife ended Wednesday in Atwater with the woman in the hospital suffering from severe head injuries and the man in custody on suspicion of felony assault and attempted rape, the Atwater Police Department reported.

The victim, a 50-year-old Atwater resident, suffered facial cuts and bled profusely from her head. She was hospitalized but is expected to survive, Lt. Samuel Joseph said.

“The victim’s injury was so severe, she was unable to be interviewed at the scene,” Joseph said.

Francisco Carbajal Jr., 42, was booked at the Merced County jail on suspicion of attempted rape, felony domestic violence, assault with great bodily harm, false imprisonment and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Police said no weapons were used in the attack.

Police said Carbajal became angry with the victim during a disagreement around 12:30 p.m. at their home in the 1800 block of Los Olivos Court in Atwater.

Officers said Carbajal later admitted trying to rape the woman. Police said he kept her trapped in a room, refusing to let her leave, while another family member “pleaded with the suspect to stop and threatened to notify the police,” which she did.

“The suspect then uncontrollably began physically assaulting the victim with a closed fist, causing severe injury,” Joseph said.

Carbajal was gone by the time police arrived, but officers learned he was on the way to pick up the couple’s 8-year-old daughter from an area school. Officers found Carbajal at the school, and he was arrested without incident, police said.

Investigators found a gun in Carbajal’s home, which they said he is not allowed to have because he is a convicted felon. Details on his previous criminal history were not available Wednesday.

The woman remains hospitalized. The 8-year-old girl was turned over to Child Protective Services, Joseph said.

Carbajal was still in custody Wednesday evening on $180,000 bail, according to booking records.

This story was originally published December 3, 2014 at 6:04 PM with the headline "Atwater woman hospitalized after assault."