Lompoc doctor choked with a rope and robbed in attack outside hospital
A Bay Area man will be arraigned on attempted murder charges Thursday after a bizarre “random” attack on a doctor outside a Lompoc hospital who was robbed and choked unconscious with a rope.
At about 6:45 a.m. Tuesday, the Lompoc Police Department received a report of an attack in the area of the Lompoc Valley Medical Center on East Ocean Avenue, according to a department news release.
When they arrived, officers were reportedly told that the victim — a doctor affiliated with the facility, a hospital spokeswoman confirmed — was headed to work when a man approached him from behind, placed a rope around his neck, and pulled him to the ground. The suspect allegedly continued to hold the rope until the victim passed out.
The suspect then took unspecified property from the alleged victim and fled the area, before the victim regained consciousness and began to yell for help, the news release states.
The suspect was reportedly seen fleeing by witnesses, and a search of the area resulted in a man matching the description of the suspect being discovered about a block away.
Long Lu, who lives in the San Jose area, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and booked into the Lompoc City Jail in lieu of $1 million bail, Lompoc police Sgt. Kevin Martin said Wednesday.
Martin said the attack appears to have been random.
Nora Wallace, spokeswoman for the Lompoc Valley Medical Center, said Wednesday that the victim was examined and treated at the facility and released.
Martin said Lu is scheduled to be arraigned at the Lompoc Courthouse Thursday morning.
This story was originally published February 27, 2019 at 4:51 PM.
