Moreno Valley residents say man has terrorized and threatened them for more than a year

MORENO VALLEY, Calif. (KABC) -- The man accused of assaulting two women inside his Moreno Valley home has been terrorizing and threatening neighbors in the area for some time, according to residents.

Those who live in the neighborhood north of the 60 Freeway near Nason Street say Gilberto Puga Jr. has been a problem for more than a year - much of it documented in video after video.

"I had no idea he was doing it to other people. I thought it was just us," said Eddie De Leon.

He said his family's first encounter with Puga was last February, when he says the 53-year-old man blocked his 18-year-old daughter in with his car and started hitting on her.

"Very, very creepy. My daughter, you know, is young so she freaked out. She ran back into the house."

Two nights later, their doorbell camera captured video of him pacing on their front porch.

De Leon says Puga also harassed the neighbor across the street - an 83-year-old woman.

"Like in the middle of the night - no shirt on, half-naked, banging on the window, just terrifying her."

Both he and that woman got restraining orders against Puga. And they aren't the only ones.

Linda Garcia says at least four residents in the area have restraining orders against him.

She said Puga tried to lure her children into his home.

"That night, I told my sons to be very careful," Garcia added.

She says Puga came back in the middle of the night trying to get into her yard. And the next morning, he opened the back gate to let her animals out. She says he then used a tool to dent her Jeep, then tried to confront them at the front door.

Things escalated when Garcia says he tried to get inside her home through the backdoor. She called 911 and the Riverside County Sheriff's Department responded to the scene.

"He left in an ambulance under the 5150... and he was out free within a couple days."

Puga's own family is also frustrated with the situation. His cousin told Eyewitness News that he's mentally ill and can't get the help he needs.

"He's been to the mental institutions and evaluated, and then they let him out. Then he does something again and he goes back in," said the suspect's cousin, Mark Glasser.

In the past, Puga has faced charges for brandishing weapons, battery of a peace officer and assault with a deadly weapon, among other things.

His latest arrest was for assaulting two women with a stun gun inside his home on Sunday.

While many of his neighbors told Eyewitness News they haven't had any encounters with him, others hope this is the last time.

"Obviously, lock him up for a while... or put him in some type of mental situation. I think at this point, it's just lock up. He's just too dangerous," De Leon said.