Gainesville Police is investigating the immigration status of the Guatemalan nationals involved in an arrest Sunday.
Police is also forwarding information to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Benjamin Perez-Bravo, 22, is accused of trapping his year-long girlfriend in their bedroom, kicking her and preventing her from calling authorities, according to an arrest report. The incident occured in an apartment they share with multiple Guatemalan residents.
One of the other residents, Perez-Bravo’s sister, witnessed the incident and told authorities the girlfriend tried to leave the apartment but Perez-Bravo brought her back inside.
Once inside, the girlfriend locked herself inside a bathroom. However, Perez-Bravo was able to get in, the sister told police. He carried her back into their bedroom, locked the bedroom door and sat in front of it, the report said.
The girlfriend tried to leave through the window and told Perez-Bravo she would call the police, but he told her not to because he would get arrested and taken to jail. He also took away her cellphone, according to the report.
Early Sunday, she tried to leave the bedroom twice and Perez-Bravo prevented her, according to the report. Perez-Bravo hit her near her neck, and she grabbed a Coca-Cola bottle to hit him, but his sister took it out of her hand.
Eventually, Perez-Bravo let his girlfriend leave the bedroom. She called police and told them he hit her with a gun and there was a hostage in the apartment, according to Alligator archives.
After investigating, police determined that was not true, GPD spokesperson Officer Ben Tobias wrote in an email. Police were not able to find a gun or any other weapons in the apartment, he said.
Police found Perez-Bravo blocks away from the apartment, Tobias said.
Tobias said communication between those involved and police was difficult because they spoke a “Guatemalan/Mayan dialect.” Three Spanish-speaking officers tried to translate, he said.
After his arrest, he confirmed what his girlfriend had told police. He said he ran from the apartment in fear of being arrested and deported after his girlfriend called police, according to the report.
Perez-Bravo was taken to the Alachua County Jail where he remains in lieu of a $45,000 bond.
Contact Robert Lewis at rlewis@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter at @Lewis__Robert.
Benjamin Perez-Bravo
