El Cajon

A Fallbrook man is being held in connection with a series of Wednesday morning crimes that included rape and burglary, El Cajon police reported.

Eduardo Ramirez Cardenas, 32, a mechanic, is being held in County Jail on suspicion of rape, burglary, attempted rape and attempted burglary. Bail has been set at $15,000.

The series of crimes began in El Cajon about 1:50 a.m. when a man entered an apartment in the 400 block of Shady Lane and sexually assaulted a woman, Lt. Randy Narramore said. The man ran away when the woman began screaming.

Then, in the 1200 block of East Madison Avenue, a man with the same description climbed through an apartment window and attempted to sexually assault a young girl, police said. As in the first incident, the girl’s struggles scared the assailant away.

Police found the suspect at 2:20 a.m. after he allegedly tried to enter a nearby house, Narramore said.