A Brownsville man upset that his common-law wife was threatening to leave him is accused of strangling her, police said.
Gerardo Ortega, 23, is charged with one count assault impede breath family violence and unauthorized use motor vehicle.
The incident happened Monday at the 2900 block of Margarita Street, police said.
The common-law wife filed a police report against Ortega for taking her vehicle without her consent, police said. She was packing up her belongings when Ortega arrived at the residence, said Investigator Martin Sandoval, spokesman for the Brownsville Police Department.
Ortega began arguing with his common-law wife and started to push her, police said. He then grabbed her by the neck and started squeezing it causing the woman to gasp, Sandoval said.
“The only reason he released her is because she was kicking him in the stomach,” Sandoval said.
Ortega was arrested and arraigned Tuesday on the charges. His bonds total $18,500.
