(CBS) SAN DIEGO- Arturo Reyes, a 55-year-old from San Diego, was arrested for launching an acid attack on a complete stranger while she was walking into a laundromat, the New York Daily News reports.

Reyes fled after burning the woman on her face, arms, and back with caustic sulfuric acid on Saturday morning and was caught a short time later after causing problems at a gas station, police said.

He was booked into jail on charges of assault with a caustic chemical, aggravated mayhem, vandalism and being under the influence of a controlled substance.

The woman, who was hospitalized with second degree burns, told cops that she did not know Reyes. It is unclear why she was targeted.

Reyes faces the possibility of life in prison if convicted.