The man assaulted the woman in connection with her leaving her home in Tullinge at 7.30 pm on Sunday evening.
- She was going out to do a errand and when she came outside her door a man jumped on her.
He beat her and tried to strangle her, says Ola Österling, spokesperson for the Stockholm Police.
The man, who is in his 25s, had earlier on Sunday escaped from a closed psychiatric ward in Huddinge.
- During a walk he had managed to escape, he had run away from the staff, says Ola Österling.
Relatives arrested the man
The woman's relatives managed to stop the assault.
- They heard what was happening, ran out and were able to interrupt the attempted murder.
Then they managed to hold the man until the police arrived, says Ola Österling.
The woman was seriously injured and had to be taken to hospital.
The man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
The police were not alerted about the escape
According to Ola Österling, the police were not alerted about the escape.
- We did not know that.
It only emerged after we arrested him that he was an escaped patient.