Man accused of attacking aunt with hammer hours after jail release

FRESNO, Calif. -- A man released early from jail due to overcrowding is now locked up again. Fresno police say he attacked his aunt with a hammer last week.

Anthony Palomino is locked up at the Fresno County Jail, facing charges for assault with a deadly weapon.

Palomino was arrested last week for allegedly breaking into cars at his relative's funeral. His aunt says hours after his release from jail he turned on her.

Beatrice Blanco says her black eye, broken cheek bone, stitches and 19 staples in her head are from a vicious attack by her nephew.

"I did not feel him hitting me," Blanco said. "My daughter said I was on the floor."

Fresno police say just hours after being released from the county jail, Palomino showed up at Blanco's Central Fresno home. Blanco says she let Palomino shower and change into some clothes.

"I always tell him to come shower here whenever you guys want to... I don't know what happened that day," she said.

Blanco said she has no clue what caused the attack, but says she was sitting, talking with Palomino at her front door when he came at her with the claw end of a hammer.

"I didn't feel nothing until like I guess the third or fourth, and I just tried again, and I got away," Blanco said.

Police eventually arrested Palomino again. They say he has a long history of crime and drug use. Last month, police say Palomino broke into several cars at a relative's funeral. Employees at Reade and Sons Funeral Home in Downtown Fresno spotted Palomino climbing in and out of cars. When he was arrested for the crime, police say he admitted to it, and said when he's not working, he's stealing. Blanco asked her nephew about the crime.

"I said to him 'Anthony, what's wrong? What went wrong with you at my mother's funeral?' He goes, 'Oh, I have so much things going on that day,'" he said.

Blanco says her sister, Palomino's mother, died last year. She said she doesn't hate her nephew for the attack. She says he's in a lot of emotional pain and just needs help. Now that Palomino is accused of a violent crime, he cannot be released early from the jail. He's being held for burglary and assault with a deadly weapon charges. His bail is set at $25,000.