A neighbor’s doorbell camera caught a man assaulting and dragging his ex-girlfriend, who was later found being held against her will in a Southern California home, police said.
Robert Michael Mendez, 27, faces charges including suspicion of attempted murder, kidnapping and false imprisonment after the Arcadia Police Department on Monday received a video link to the doorbell camera, the department said in a news release. The timing of his first court appearance and whether he has an attorney weren’t clear Wednesday.
The video, which police believe is from late Sunday night, shows a woman running and pounding on a neighbor’s door when a man grabs her by the hair and drags her to the lawn, according to the footage, obtained by CNN affiliate KCAL/KCBS.
The video is stamped with the logo of Ring, the Amazon-owned company that works with more than 400 police departments nationwide, including Arcadia’s. Police can request videos to help with active investigations. While Ring says its police partnerships make people safer, privacy advocates warn they could create a 24/7 surveillance environment.
“I thought she was going to die,” Arcadia neighbor Tammy Raycraft told KCAL/KCBS, adding that she saw the man stomping on the woman. “It was really traumatic to watch.”
A neighbor called 911 as the incident unfolded, but officers could not find the attacker or the victim until Monday afternoon, the station reported.
Police canvassing the area found the victim, who they say was “significantly injured.”
“The extent of the female’s injuries were severe enough to warrant hospitalization,” the police news release states. “Investigation also revealed that the female victim had been held against her will inside the residence since late (Sunday) evening.”
Police believe the woman is Mendez’s estranged girlfriend, according to the release.
Mendez was arrested at the house without incident, it states.