A 68-year-old man accused of stabbing a woman during a failed robbery in a Memorial Heights home earlier this month was arrested in Las Vegas and extradited back to Long Beach to face charges for attempted murder and other crimes, authorities said.
Police said Long Beach resident Bruce Edward Willis fled the city following a failed robbery on March 2 in which he is accused of breaking into a Memorial Heights home, demanding money from two women inside and then stabbing one of them, authorities said.
Authorities say Willis entered the Memorial Heights residence through an open door sometime around 8 a.m. Brandishing a knife, he demanded money from two women who were inside the home, Long Beach Police Department spokesperson Richard Mejia said.
The women attempted to barricade themselves inside a bathroom, but in that time, Willis managed to stab one of the victims multiple times in the upper body, police said. After a short struggle, Willis exited the home and fled in an unknown direction.
When officers arrived, they found one of the women suffering from non-life-threatening injuries related to the stabbing, Mejia said. She was transported by the Long Beach Fire Department to a local hospital where her wounds were treated, police said. No other physical injuries were reported, Mejia said.
A warrant for Willis’ arrest was issued by the LBPD following the stabbing and three days later, Willis was arrested during a traffic stop by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Las Vegas police notified the LBPD of Willis’ arrest and the process to bring him back to Long Beach was started, police said.
On Friday, Willis appeared in Long Beach court where he plead not guilty to two counts of attempted murder, two counts of robbery and one count of burglary.
Court records show that Willis is due back in court for a pre-hearing conference on April 5 followed by his preliminary hearing on April 11, where it will be determined whether there is enough evidence for the case to go to trial.
He is currently being held in a Los Angeles County jail and his bail was set to $3 million, according to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department inmate records.