DNA Evidence Leads to Arrest in State Street Assault Case

A 26-year-old Santa Barbara man was arrested this week after he allegedly attacked a female employee while she was closing a State Street business last month. Oscar Aguilar-Jimenez has been charged with attempted sexual assault, assault with a deadly weapon, and false imprisonment after a month-long investigation using DNA evidence identified him as the suspect.

Police spokesperson Sgt. Riley Harwood said Aguilar-Jimenez was hiding in an alley behind the business located in the 700 block of State Street at around 9:00 p.m. on April 1. A female employee, who was closing the establishment, opened the back door, and Aguilar-Jimenez allegedly attacked her, knocking her to the ground and holding a linoleum knife with a curved blade to her throat. She resisted and screamed. A male co-worker who was in the front of the business heard her yelling and rushed to the scene. He fought with Oscar Aguilar-Jimenez for about 45 seconds, Harwood said, and suffered slashes — requiring eight stitches— on his left hand. The suspect fled the scene.

After the incident, officers collected evidence from the victim’s body and submitted it to the state crime lab. Though this process can take several months, police requested the case be expedited. The DNA evidence generated a match in the national Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). The suspect was identified as Aguilar-Jimenez, who has had contact with law enforcement in the past, and was on probation for auto theft.

Aguilar-Jimenez had just been arrested by Sheriff’s deputies last week for allegedly stealing 14 items from K-Mart in Goleta. Detectives arrested Aguilar-Jimenez for the additional felony charges while he was in custody. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Friday.