Arizona woman’s ex-husband hides in car and chokes her while driving, police say
PHOENIX, AZ (3TV/CBS5) — A west Phoenix woman was choked by her ex-husband while driving after he hid in the back seat, police say.
This happened in March of 2019.
As she was driving, he then wrapped his arms around her neck, choking her, court documents state. The victim then tried to slow down the car, while her legs dangled out of the driver’s side door. She thought her ex-husband may have had a gun, but wasn’t certain, according to the arrest report. Witnesses saw what was happening and pulled the suspect off of her.
“Situational awareness is key in these situations because you can very easily avoid them,” said Ivette Hofrichter, co-owner of EVKM Fitness & Self Defense. She has been practicing the technique for nearly a decade, and said if you are ever in this situation you have to “escalate with response.
“Throwing elbows to the back, biting, keeping your chin down, scratching the face,” Hofrichter advised. “Reaching for objects to stab and slash to the attackers face.”
She said to use your car to your advantage. “If we have our seat belt on we can slam on the brakes, hard, to get them off balance, and allow us enough time to exit the vehicle,” Hofrichter said. “Swerving left and right to get our potentially un-belted attacker off.”
The suspect is facing felony charges of burglary and unlawful imprisonment. He is due in court March 4.
Photo Credit: kmov.com