Man Holds 2 Women Captive In His House, Tortures Them With Stun Gun; Arrested

A convicted felon in California was arrested for allegedly holding two women captive inside his home against their will, and repeatedly torturing and assaulting them with a stun gun before they managed to escape.

Deputies from Riverside County Sheriff's Office responded to a 911 call at a residence on Prairie Dog Lane in Moreno Valley at about 9:22 a.m. on May 14. In the call, Gilberto Murillo Puga Jr., 53, told emergency dispatchers two female burglars entered his home. However, the dispatchers received another call regarding two females who were at Puga's residence screaming for help, the Sheriff's Office said in a press release Wednesday.

Upon reaching the scene, deputies found two females walking away from Puga's residence, CBS News reported.

The investigation further revealed that the two women were not burglars but were kept locked up at Puga's residence, against their will, and tortured, the Sheriff's Office added.

Puga was arrested on May 15 from Hemet and charged with multiple felonies, including two counts each of false imprisonment and assault with a stun gun. He was also charged with one count each of being a felon in possession of a weapon and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to jail records accessed by Law&Crime. Puga was held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Robert Presley Jail.

The identities of the two victims were not revealed by authorities. It was unclear whether Puga and the victims knew each other or why they were at his house.

According to Puga's neighbors and family, he showed warning signs of doing something dangerous. One of Puga's neighbors, identified as Sammy, said the accused previously broke into his house and damage the window.

"He broke into my house, and he was letting all my birds out and trying to get in my house and trying to break the window," Sammy told ABC7.

Puga's cousin Mark Glasser stated that Puga is mentally unwell and his actions have caused trouble to the family. He further blamed the authorities for releasing him from prison where he was receiving treatment for bipolar depression and schizophrenia.

"Pay more attention to the mental state of these people they're kicking back out on the streets. That, you know, somebody should come to talk to the family and ask, 'What do you think about this guy? Should he be back on the streets?'" Glasser told the outlet.

As per court records, Puga was previously convicted of vehicle theft, assaulting a police officer and driving under the influence.

"I grew up with him, I love him," Glasser added, as per CBS News. "But it's crazy to see him like this. He's never really healed, but they say he is so they let him back out on the streets."