Suspect In Chainsaw Attack Had Been Deported 11 Times

BELLFLOWER, CA — A man charged with attempted murder and aggravated mayhem Monday for allegedly attacking his wife with a chainsaw in front of their three young children had been deported 11 times before the brutal attack, authorities said Monday.

Alejandro Villegas Alvarez, 32, was arrested Thursday near the border after an extensive manhunt. Whittier police were called to last Wednesday to the 7700 block of Milton Avenue on a report of "an attempted murder stemming from a domestic violence incident," according to Whittier police Sgt. John Scoggins. "When officers arrived, they found a female adult suffering from traumatic physical injuries, believed to have been inflicted by a chainsaw."

Two of the children, who are between the ages of 5 and 10, were covered in their mother's blood. Alvarez also faces three counts of child abuse and one count each of driving or taking a vehicle without consent and hit-and-run driving resulting in property damage, according to the Los Angeles District Attorney's office.

Prosecutors plan to ask for bail of nearly $1.4 million.

Alvarez is what U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials call a a serial immigration violator. ICE officials told the Los Angeles times, Alvarez had been booted from the country 11 times since 2005.

According to Times, Alvarez was convicted on separate drug and drunken driving charges in 2013, and that ICE has requested that local authorities notify immigration officials before Alvarez is released to allow the federal agency to take him into custody.

Alvarez's wife underwent emergency surgery and was in stable condition, according to Whittier police.

Alvarez, who allegedly fled in his wife's car, was arrested the day after the attack in Chula Vista by the San Diego County Sheriff's Department. Prosecutors say he struck another car in Santa Fe Springs and fled the scene of the collision before stealing another vehicle that was idling nearby.

City News Service contributed to this report. Image courtesy of the Whittier Police Department