MIAMI (WSVN) - A man police believe raped a woman inside her car in Brickell faced a judge in court.
City of Miami Police arrested 41-year-old Tony Martehidalgo Tuesday in connection to a rape that occurred Saturday.
A police report detailed the incident and said the victim was sleeping in her vehicle with the doors unlocked near 1450 South Miami Ave. That’s when she was awakened by Martehidalgo, who choked her from the passenger side, around 2:30 a.m.
Martehidalgo then, police said, pulled her by the neck to the back seat of her vehicle, where he then forced unprotected sex. The man then demanded she perform oral sex on him, to which the victim complied. The police report added that Martehidalgo choked her and held her arm whenever there was a struggle.
Martehidalgo then told the victim to turn around, which is when the victim was able to flee through the trunk while naked, running and shouting for help.
Eduardo, a witness, recalled what he saw. “I just see a girl running naked,” he said.
He said he offered her his shirt before flagging down an officer for help. “She was crying and she was saying, ‘Please, please, he raped me, he raped me. Somebody raped me,'” said Eduardo.
Police said they were able to lift a fingerprint from the passenger side of the victim’s vehicle that matched Martehidalgo’s.
Martehidalgo faced a judge, Wednesday afternoon, where he denied having sex with the victim. “She was awakened by the defendant choking her from the passenger side of the vehicle,” said Circuit Court Judge Mindy Glazer, “so he’s inside the vehicle, which would be the burglary.”
According to the police report, after looking at Martehidalgo’s picture, the victim began to cry and said, “I know that’s the guy that raped me. I remember the beard.”
He is being held in jail without bond. “I am going to hold you no bond on count 1, count 2, count 3 and count 4,” Glazer said.
Martehidalgo was also charged with possession of marijuana. In 2016, around this time, he was arrested for disorderly conduct and resisting an officer.
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