Teenage girl attacked in the Upper Valley while jogging; nearby teen rescues her
A teenage jogger was the victim of an aggravated assault earlier this week before a teenage boy came to her rescue. Police say it happened Tuesday evening on the 5200 block of Montoya, just north of Country Club road.
According to the affidavit, 18-year-old Brandon Mendoza threw the teenage girl in the irrigation ditch and held her head under water. When she fought back, it states he bit her several times on the neck. She suffered bleeding bite marks and feared for her life.
The incident happened in a very nice neighborhood in the Upper Valley. ABC-7 spoke with more than a dozen people who live there and were unaware about the attack and daring rescue.
“I walk at least three times a week,” said a woman who lives in the neighborhood, but did not want to be identified. “I’ve been walking for 37 years or running and I’ve always felt real safe in this neighborhood. It concerns me. I didn’t hear about it until just now but it frightens me. This is a real busy street, lots of cars, and I think things have changed since they’ve changed Country Club, so we have a lot more traffic in this area.”
Other neighbors echoed her concerns.
“We all help each other,” said Stuart Roberts, who lives right across from where the attack occurred. “We’re a neighborhood and (the 15-year-old) needs to be commended for that. Thank god he did it.”
Police say an off-duty federal law enforcement officer who lives in the area was able to detain Mendoza until police arrived.
“We’ve never had any problems out here, that we know about,” Roberts added. “If we ever see anything like that going on again, they better watch out. We will protect the innocent, especially young women, and they also stand a chance of getting shot, so these crooks better start thinking about that.”
Mendoza was booked into the El Paso County Detention Facility on one count of aggravated assault with a $25,000 bond.
For safety tips while jogging, running, or walking, go to http://bit.ly/1qwWM5V
