Domestic violence victim jumps in front of police car to get their attention
Jun 15, 2022, 3:27 PM
A Utah County man who police believe was under the influence of drugs is facing criminal charges for allegedly flooding an Orem hotel. (File image, Gustavo Caballero, Getty Images for UNITAS)
(File image, Gustavo Caballero, Getty Images for UNITAS)
MURRAY, Utah – A domestic violence victim jumped out of a moving car on Interstate 15 because she felt it was the only way to get police attention.
According to arresting documents, 42-year-old Jose Paz-Sanchez is accused of assaulting and sexually abusing his girlfriend on the night of May 4.
The victim told police that Sanchez drove her to “the middle of nowhere in Salt Lake County,” took her phone away so she couldn’t call for help, and threatened to kill her with a knife.
He then grabbed her by the hair and repeatedly hit her head against the inside of the truck until “he was tired.”
Sanchez then forced her to have sex with him, according to arresting documents.
The next morning, he forced her to have sex with him again and made her go to work with him.
While driving on I15 nearby 5300 South, the victim noticed a police car on the side of the road.
She told police that she thought “that was her only chance to get away from him.” She opened the door, felt a hand on her back, and jumped out of the moving car.
A SANE nurse examined the victim, who indicated a “forced sexual encounter” recently happened.
Police interviewed Sanchez, and he said that on May 4, his ex-wife and the victim got into an argument, which prompted him to leave with the victim to Magna.
He claims that she jumped from the car twice on their drive, and he forced her to sit in the back of his truck.
The two had consensual sex before she jumped from the truck Sanchez told police.
However, he kept changing the order of events, like having sex after she jumped out of the truck and said she left her phone at home.
The victim also accused Sanchez of another assault in their home, where he hit her head against a wall and took her phone away.
Sanchez told her she wasn’t free to leave without him and was forced to accompany him wherever he went.
She is from Mexico and didn’t know where to go for help.
Sanchez was booked in the Salt Lake County jail for aggravated assault, aggravated sexual assault, aggravated kidnapping while commenting unlawful detention, and interrupting a communication device.
