Man arrested for assaulting ex-girlfriend, holding her hostage

AUSTIN, Texas - An Austin man has been arrested after he held his ex-girlfriend against her will for four days and assaulted her multiple times, according to Austin police. 

At approximately 3:22 p.m. on February 18, police responded to a call for an apartment complex located in the 700 block W Longspur in North Austin. 

Upon arrival, police made contact with the victim who stated that her ex-boyfriend, 25-year-old Juan Villarreal, had held her against her will and not allowed her to leave her apartment for four days.

According to the victim, she and Villarreal dated for about a year back in 2013 but had recently been in contact with each other. The victim invited Villarreal to her apartment on February 14. 

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Court paperwork states that once Villarreal was inside the victim's apartment he would not allow her to leave. She told police that Villarreal assaulted her multiple times by striking her with an open hand and strangled her on at least four different occasions when she would try to leave the apartment.

The victim's phone was also destroyed by Villarreal after she threatened to call the police on him. 

The victim was eventually able to fight past Villarreal and escape. She told police the last assault happened just hours before they arrived on the scene. 

Police noted in the court paperwork that the victim had bruises on her arms from Villarreal grabbing her and that she felt a tenderness in her neck. 

Villareal was put under arrest to prevent further violence and was charged with assault by strangulation/suffocation, a third degree felony. 

When asked by police why he assaulted the victim and held her against her will, Villarreal said he believed she was talking to another male and thought that she was going to see him.