Miami-Dade police arrested Deglis Antoni Jarquin, 24, on Wednesday at his home in the Tamiami neighborhood, months after a July 16 incident in Miami Gardens, according to the Miami Gardens Police Department.
Police said the woman, who worked at a Sweetwater coffee shop, left work around 12:30 a.m. and accepted a ride from Jarquin, a man she had met a few times before. According to an arrest report, he drove north on the Palmetto Expressway, then stopped in a dark area in the 16900 block of Northwest 37th Avenue and kissed her without consent. When she got out of the car, saying she needed the restroom, police said he followed her and ordered her into the back seat, where he grabbed her neck hard enough to make breathing difficult.
Police said the woman jumped from the car through the passenger door and was struck repeatedly in the face after she fell onto the road. The report says he also hit the back of her head against the concrete and bit her stomach. She kept fighting and screaming for help, and Jarquin drove away, leaving a car door open.
Investigators said the woman had visible injuries to her face, knees and stomach. Two weeks later she identified Jarquin from a photo lineup, and cell tower records placed his phone between the coffee shop and the kidnapping location, police said.
Jarquin faces a kidnapping charge, a first-degree felony punishable by life, and a misdemeanor battery charge. He was held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center as of Thursday morning, with bond listed as pending. He also faces an immigration detainer.
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