Burglary Suspect Caught in the Act, Beaten by Homeowner
A young man suspected of burglarizing a Las Cruces home Wednesday morning was briefly hospitalized with multiple injuries after the homeowner caught him in the act.
Caleb R. Clark, 19, of the 700 block of City View Drive, is charged with one count each of residential burglary and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. Both counts are third-degree felonies.
Shortly before 9 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 28, Las Cruces police were dispatched to the report of a burglary in progress on the 4700 block of Hilda Drive. Officers arrived to find the homeowner had detained the suspect. The homeowner and suspect, identified as Clark, both sustained injuries during a scuffle.
Investigators learned the homeowner left his home Wednesday morning but returned shortly thereafter to observe an unknown man inside. The two got into a scuffle and Clark is accused of arming himself with a shard of glass and aggressively slashing at the homeowner’s throat. The homeowner deflected the attack but received a laceration to a finger during the incident.
The homeowner successfully pinned Clark to the floor and called 911 to report the burglary.
Clark received lacerations to the back of his head and multiple injuries to his face during the scuffle. He was briefly hospitalized Wednesday before being booked. Clark also had three outstanding felony warrants for his arrest: two for violating terms of his release and one for failing to appear in court. The failure to appear warrant was for a residential burglary committed in January 2019.
Clark is initially being held without bond at the Dona Ana County Detention Center.
