A Hilmar woman escaped a potentially deadly encounter unscathed after an armed man fired several shots at her Sunday morning.

The suspect, 44-year-old Trinidad Ruesga, was apprehended hours later by the Merced County Sheriff’s Department and remains in custody despite his failed escape attempt at the sheriff’s department.

The incident was put into motion several days prior to Sunday when Ruesga got into some type of altercation with individuals in the area of Clausen and Golf Link roads, said sheriff spokesman Deputy Delray Shelton.

On Sunday morning Ruesga went to the same area apparently to start up the confrontation again, Shelton said.

He was confronted by a neighbor woman about what he was doing there and his response was to fire multiple rounds from a handgun at the woman.

The woman was not hit and Ruesga fled the area.

About three hours later Ruesga was found and taken into custody. While at the sheriff’s department Ruesga tried to escape from the investigators. But did not make it very far, Shelton said.

Ruesga was booked into the Merced County Jail on an attempted murder charge and felony intentional discharge of a firearm.