Ex-con jumped out from bush, brutally attacked woman walking in Burbank, police say

BURBANK, Calif. (KABC) -- An ex-con was in court Wednesday, arrested in a brutal ambush attack in Burbank that left a woman in her 60s in critical condition.

The woman was out for a walk near her workplace when the suspect jumped out from behind a bush and attacked her, police say.

She was left critically injured in a Burbank alley.

The suspect, Hector Ulloa of San Bernardino, was already on parole for another attack.

The Burbank assault happened July 1 near San Fernando Boulevard and Amherst Drive.

Ulloa was in court Wednesday. He hung his head during most of his first court appearance.

But just 24 hours before, police say he brutally attacked a complete stranger - a 63-year-old woman who was taking a walk behind her workplace.

"At some point in time he broke the bottle and actually used the shards of glass to attack her more," said Sgt. Derek Green with the Burbank Police Department. "We believe drugs or alcohol or a combination of both may have been a factor."

Police say Ulloa was hiding behind a bush, jumped out and started punching and kicking her.

She was just steps away from Comeland Maintenance Company - which now has a sign on the front door, asking for privacy.

Police say the images from the surveillance video are too graphic to show.

"There are witnesses that heard screaming coming from the alley and they were in offices on second and third story levels, so when they heard the screaming, they began to come down screaming and also call the police," Green said. "We got there after a couple of minutes, which allowed us to tend to the victim and also locate the suspect about a block from that location."

Ulloa is a transient from San Bernardino.

He has six prior convictions - which police believe include a history of assault.

He now faces multiple charges for the attack. Coupled with his priors, he could face 43 years to life in prison.