A transient who lives in the Santa Clara River wash and accused of assaulting a 70-year-old woman now faces a felony charge of attempted murder.

Colton Ford, 29, who arrived in the SCV about seven months ago from Orange County, was arrested Tuesday morning by deputies of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station after two “Good Samaritans” ran to the aid of the alleged victim and held the suspect for them.

The alleged attack happened shortly after 8:20 a.m. Tuesday when a woman jogging on the bike path in Valencia near the post office on McBean Parkway was attacked.

Paramedics with the Los Angeles County Fire Department responded to the incident, provided medical aid to the woman and took her to the hospital.

Captain Robert Lewis provided details about the incident at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting.

“Two Good Samaritans who actually came to her rescue, held on to the suspect for deputies,” Lewis told City Council after Santa Clarita Mayor Cameron Smyth asked about the incident.

Lewis said the suspect had arrived in the SCV seven months ago and had been arrested on four Proposition 47 charges prior.

“This individual is a Prop 47 individual,” he said. “Eight hours into the investigation, we are now looking at an attempted murder charge.”

Arrest documents show that Ford was arrested in the SCV June 20 on suspicion of possessing drug paraphernalia.

Lewis closed his remarks to City Council Tuesday by expressing his wish to see the “Good Samaritans” formally recognized with some sort of commendation.

A retired police officer and the two Good Samaritans on cycles stopped the suspect’s attack and detained him, pending the arrival of deputies as they called 9-1-1.

On Tuesday morning, paramedics were dispatched for reports of an assault near the northern end of Auto Center Drive, north of Creekside Drive, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Fire Department told The Signal.

The victim, a 70-year woman, was attacked without warning, Sgt. Chris Maurizi said at the time.

A retired Los Angeles Police Department officer witnessed the incident and came to the woman’s aid, Maurizi said.

The suspect was arrested and transported to Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station where he was booked for attempted murder. He is being held in lieu of two million dollars bail.

Prop 47 – also called the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act – reduced about two dozen nonviolent felonies such as shoplifting and drug possession to misdemeanors which, typically, carry less jail time, if any jail time at all.

Californians voted in favor of the Proposition 47 ballot measure in November 2014.

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