Santa Cruz Police: Man broke into girlfriend’s home and threatened her with knife

A 26-year-old man was arrested after Santa Cruz police say he unlawfully entered the home of a woman he’d been dating and assaulted her.

The woman told police she woke up in the early morning hours to find that Alberto Scalant, whom she’d been dating for six weeks, had entered her home without permission.

She asked him why he was there and he began beating her, and prevented her from leaving her house for an hour. At one point, he armed himself with a large kitchen knife and threatened to kill her, police said.

She eventually was able to talk Scalant out of further assault and he left her residence.

Scalant, a Watsonville resident, was arrested later at his work place on Pacific Avenue on suspicion of multiple charges, including assault, making criminal threats, stalking, domestic violence and attempted sexual assault. He was booked into Santa Cruz County Jail.