A California man has been charged with attempted murder after he allegedly tried to drown and then bury his wife alive while at the beach, police say.
Jose Luis Mares III was at a San Diego-area beach Wednesday night with his wife when police received a call from his wife just before 9 p.m. that Mares had tried to kill her, Coronado Police announced in a Facebook post.
When officers arrived at the 900 block of Ocean Boulevard they found a “badly injured woman” on the sidewalk, police said.
The couple had gone to the beach earlier in the evening and had gotten into an argument, according to police. Suddenly, Mares allegedly began to attack his wife.
“He attempted to throw her in the ocean, then burying her in a hole in the sand,” police said. (RELATED: Woman Arrested After Pouring Boiling Water On Boyfriend As He Slept And Bragging About It On Snapchat)
The victim told investigators that Mares tried to drag her into the water and then dragged her to a lifeguard tower where he tried to bury her in the sand, according to Fox 5 San Diego.
“She said there was a hole in the ground and the hole had previously been there from probably kids digging it during the day,” Coronado Police Department Detective Ryan Brennan said, according to Fox 5 San Diego. “But during the struggle, she said he threw her in that hole when he began putting sand on top of her.”
Luckily, his wife was able to escape and ran toward Ocean Boulevard where a passerby found her.
Mares was found hiding in the backyard of a nearby home shortly after, police said.
Mares has been charged with Attempted Murder, Assault Causing Great Bodily Injury, Domestic Violence, False Imprisonment and Parole Violation, according to police. He is being held without bail until he’s arraigned, according to Fox 5 San Diego.
Mares was on parole after he was convicted for carjacking and burglary, according to Fox 5 San Diego.
The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence estimates that 34.9% of California women and 31.1% of California men are victims of domestic violence in their lifetime.