California man leads police on chase after allegedly assaulting former landlord

NORCO, Calif. (KTLA) -- A man was arrested after allegedly assaulting his former landlord and leading deputies on a short chase in Norco Friday morning.

At 4:11 a.m., officers were called to a home in the 1700 block of Hillside Avenue for a reported assault. When they arrived, they found the victim, 83, who said one of his former tenants had illegally entered his home, according to a news release from the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

The culprit, identified by the victim as 27-year-old Paul Stephen Otto, had allegedly put him in a chokehold in an attempt to steal the victim's car.

Otto then fled the scene in his silver Volvo sedan and was later located in front of the Norco Police Station where officers attempted to arrest him. He fled toward the intersection of Hammer Avenue and First Street where he crashed into another vehicle, totaling his car.

He was held at the Robert Presley Detention Center on suspicion of several charges including attempted murder and cruelty to a dependent adult, according to jail records. His bail is set at $300,000.