A firefighter hoses off the street in San Carlos where a woman was reportedly beheaded. Police have arrested a man she had gotten a temporary restraining order against.

UPDATE: Suspect identified in reported beheading of young mother outside her San Carlos home.

A man allegedly beheaded a woman in the street in front of witnesses in San Carlos on Thursday morning.

Citing unnamed law enforcement sources, ABC7 reported that a woman was beheaded by a man she had gotten a temporary restraining order against.

San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office public information Lt. Eamonn Allen declined to confirm the account Thursday, but told The Chronicle that witnesses reported an assault in progress at 11:50 a.m. at the 300-400 blocks of Laurel Street and Magnolia Avenue, where they found “an obviously deceased” adult female.

Police said the incident happened in the street in front of the home of the victim, who lived there with her two children. Allen said the children were not believed to be present at the time of the attack.

“A stabbing instrument was used,” said Allen, who declined to confirm what object was used.

Deputies arrived within minutes of the call, and shortly thereafter the suspect returned to the scene and was detained. A witness told The Chronicle that the suspect began yelling and vomiting as police placed him into custody.

On Thursday night, as a firefighter hosed off the street where the woman was killed, a neighbor said he was moving items from inside his home — just a few houses down from the victim’s apartment complex — into a storage container on his front lawn when the attack occurred.

“It must have happened so fast,” the man, who identified himself only as Nino, said, as he watched the street being cleaned. “It was quiet when I went inside but by the time I came back out with more items there were police all over.”

He said he saw the victim on the ground, her legs poking out from behind her black Volkswagen Jetta. Then, he said, the suspect returned to the scene and yelled and vomited as police arrested him.

His own car was parked right behind the victim’s car, and was cordoned off by police tape.

San Mateo Sheriff’s Office deputies, forensic investigators and Redwood City firefighters remained at the cordoned-off area outside the apartment complex Thursday evening.

Earlier in the day, Allen said authorities were still looking for the weapon.

The suspect was arrested on suspicion of homicide, Allen said, who added that he was “known to the victim” and that the woman was believed to be an isolated victim. Allen said that police were securing search warrants for her home and the man’s home.

The deputies who first arrived were “beset by the scene,” said Allen, adding that the responding authorities and the witnesses have been connected to counseling services.

Allen said the office was not releasing any identifying details about the victim pending notification to her family. The San Mateo County Coroner’s Office also declined to comment.

Neighbors in the mostly residential neighborhood of San Carlos were stunned at the violence of the incident.

Lina Whittaker, who has lived in the area with her husband since 1994, said some of her neighbors in the past wouldn’t lock their doors.

“It’s a very quiet neighborhood,” Whittaker said. “I had my catalytic converter stolen here about four months ago but that’s the only thing I’ve experienced here.”

Hoping to feel more safe, Whittaker and her husband have installed more lights on their property, she said.

Nearby resident Tom, who has lived on his property on Laurel Steet for 71 years, said the neighborhood has seen crime but said it was mostly property or auto crime.

“I’ve had my car stolen,” he said. “ Police have told me it’s mostly folks who access the area from the freeway. But violent crime? That’s not usual for here.”

Annie Vainshtein (she/her) and Joel Umanzor (he/him) are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: avainshtein@sfchronicle.com; joel.umanzor@sfchronicle.com

Annie is a reporter for The San Francisco Chronicle. She previously was a digital producer for The Chronicle's Datebook section. She graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo in 2017 with a degree in journalism. During her time there, she spearheaded a culture column, produced radio pieces for NPR-affiliate station KCBX, and was a DJ and writer for KCPR, the campus radio station. Before joining the Chronicle, she was an associate producer at SFGATE and interned at VICE and Flood Magazine. She's particularly interested in communities and scenes that are often misunderstood.

Joel Umanzor joined The San Francisco Chronicle as a breaking news reporter in 2022. A 2021-2023 Hearst Fellow, he was previously a breaking news reporter on The Houston Chronicle's Metro desk.

Originally from Richmond, Calif., Umanzor graduated from San Francisco State University in 2021. When not in the newsroom or chasing down a source, he can be found painting, listening to hip-hop or watching sports.