Travis County police in Texas arrested a man who allegedly kidnapped a woman and sexually assaulted her after posing as a Good Samaritan.
According to FOX News Digital, Reynaldo Tapia-Arcibar, 31, faces aggravated kidnapping and sexual abuse charges in connection with a May 16 incident in the northeastern part of Austin.
Dispatchers received a call from a woman “screaming for help” and reporting that she had just been assaulted around 3:30 a.m., an arrest affidavit stated. She told police that her assailant tricked her into getting inside his “boxy white SUV” after she had spent an hour waiting for help for her car’s flat tire.
According to the affidavit, Tapia-Arcibar told the woman he would take her to get a replacement for her flat tire, then “shut the door quickly” behind her, FOX 7 Austin reports.
He then reportedly drove about 10 minutes north to an apartment complex where he assaulted her. Before arriving at the complex, the woman asked to get out and tried to open the car’s locked doors.
Initially unable to escape, she sent her location to a friend for help, the affidavit stated. She then called 911 once she managed to get out of the car. Police arrived at the scene within 10 minutes after she shared her device location, Austin Police Association President Michael Bullock told Fox 7.
“If someone’s location is being shared, then we’re able to live track where they are, and it’s a lot easier for us to get there more quickly,” he said.
“What she did is something that’s very helpful to us to be able to get there a lot quicker. It’s very smart thinking on her part.”
The suspect fled the scene, but seven hours later, police returned to the parking lot and spotted a man matching the suspect’s description leaving one of the apartments.
Tapia-Arcibar remains behind bars on a $50,000 bond. A court hearing has been scheduled for June 12.
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[Feature Photo: Police Handout via FOX 7 Austin]
