Man arrested after woman bashed with hammer

A man was arrested Monday after police say he strangled a woman several times and hit her in the head with a hammer.

Las Vegas police responded to the Siegel Suites at 5230 E. Craig Road, near Nellis Boulevard, about 9:40 p.m. Sunday. Officers located the suspect, 25-year-old Desmond Stewart, as well as the 20-year-old victim, in the nearby Wal-Mart parking lot, police reports said.

The woman had a “severe injury” near her right temple, and was initially unable to speak to the officers, the report said. She was taken to North Vista Hospital and treated for her injuries.

The woman’s sister told police Stewart had threatened the victim the night before the alleged assault.

The sister said Stewart was heating a hammer on the stove and telling the victim that he was going to cut off her arms and legs, and then pull her teeth out so she could not be identified. Stewart then laughed and said he was joking, according to the report.

Stewart choked the victim three separate times after a game of dominoes Sunday night, the report said. The sister and her husband were able to pull Stewart off the victim each time. After the third time, where Stewart was choking the victim on a staircase outside the room, he ran to the Wal-Mart parking lot, the report said.

Police said Stewart then made fake suicide call in an attempt to distract officers. The victim followed him, telling police that “she was not thinking properly after being struck in the head,” the report said.

Stewart was booked into the Clark County Detention Center and faces three felony charges, including attempted murder and battery.

Contact reporter Colton Lochhead at clochhead@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4638. Follow @ColtonLochhead on Twitter.