Man suspected of smashing H.B. home with a hammer is arrested after pursuit

An Irvine resident who police say was destroying a Huntington Beach home with a hammer was arrested Tuesday afternoon after officers pursued him to an adjacent neighborhood.

Police responded to the 9500 block of Cornwall Drive at around 12:10 p.m. after receiving reports of a man throwing belongings out of windows and smashing the property, said Huntington Beach Police Department spokeswoman Jennifer Marlatt.

Eric Suplemento, 44, was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence and assault with a deadly weapon.

Police said a woman was inside the home and yelling for help.

When officers arrived, Suplemento ran out of the house and crossed Bushard Street to another residential tract, Marlatt said.

Several officers searched for him, and a police helicopter crew eventually saw him in the 1900 block of Providence Lane, Marlatt said.

Muddy footprints led into the rear of a house on Providence, and officers searched the house and found that Suplemento had locked himself in a bedroom.

A police dog was sent into the home around 1:30 p.m., and Suplemento surrendered, police said.

He was booked into Orange County Jail with bail set at $150,000.

—Brittany Woolsey

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For the Record: This story originally reported that Eric Suplemento is from Huntington Beach. In fact, he is an Irvine resident.