A Chicago man is facing multiple charges for allegedly strangling and assaulting a woman in Hammond on Christmas Eve.
Alyas Rojas Love, 24, is charged with attempted rape, a level 3 felony; two misdemeanor charges; strangulation, a level 6 felony; sexual battery, a level 6 felony; and misdemeanor domestic battery.
On Dec. 24, Hammond police responded to a report of a disturbance at a residence in the 400 block of Detroit Street, according to the probable cause statement. The woman told police that an acquaintance was in her home and strangled her. Police saw a man walking down the stairs as he was getting dressed, court records show. Police began talking to Love in the dining room. Love said he and the victim got into an argument but denied it was physical, avoided answering questions directly and kept saying “no one was the main aggressor,” according to the documents.
The victim told police that she and Love were previously in a relationship, but she felt bad when he called her and invited her out. She said Love was clearly intoxicated when he arrived, the affidavit said. She excused herself to the bathroom, but Love followed her. While she was in the bathroom, Love grabbed her face and began kissing her, court records show. He lifted her from the toilet and took off her clothes. He then took off his pants, turned her around and tried to force her to have sex with him, even though she repeatedly asked him to stop, the documents state.
He then turned her around, grabbed her by the neck, lifted her into the air and repeatedly slammed her against the wall. He eventually let her go and she left the bathroom, the affidavit said.
He followed her outside, grabbed her neck again and slammed her against the kitchen wall. He told her, “You’re not going to leave me” and “You’re not going to break up with me,” court records state. She was able to escape Love and grabbed a knife to defend herself. She locked herself in a bedroom to call 911, records state.
Police said the victim’s neck and collarbone showed redness from where she said Love choked her, as did her left shoulder blade and the back from where he slammed her against the wall.
