CARLSBAD – Carlsbad police arrested a man suspected of attempting to carjack a vehicle in December using a machete as a weapon.
Louie Patrick Duran, Jr., 43, was taken into custody on January 6 at his home on Laurel Tree Lane in Carlsbad. He was booked into Vista County Jail on suspicion of attempted carjacking and assault with a deadly weapon.
According to Carlsbad police, Duran allegedly approached a female neighbor on December 29 when she was getting into her car and demanded her car keys. When the woman refused to turn over her keys, Duran allegedly thrust the machete blade into the vehicle to prevent the drivers’ side door from closing and the woman cut her hand on the machete as she attempted to close the door. She said the attacker was wearing a motorcycle helmet that obscured his face during the attack and that the attacker ran from the scene after she screamed.
Police later identified Duran as a suspect based on the woman’s description. Police said Duran was on probation at the time of the attack and awaiting trial in connection with a standoff with a SWAT unit at his home on November 7.
