A Las Cruces Police officer spotted a man chasing a woman along University Avenue early Friday morning and helped prevent a domestic incident from becoming much worse.
Isaiah Mora, 20, was arrested and charged with one count each of false imprisonment and battery on a household member.
Shortly after 4 a.m. Friday, Oct. 26, a Las Cruces Police officer patrolling near University Avenue spotted a woman running eastbound on the roadway. When the officer made a U-turn to assure the woman’s safety, he saw that she was being chased by a man later identified as Mora.
The officer caught up with the couple in a parking lot at 901 E. University Ave. where the man was forcefully pulling the woman back toward his apartment.
Detectives learned that sometime late Thursday evening or Friday morning the woman received a text message from Mora, her ex-boyfriend, asking if they could meet. The two met at her home but then went for a ride in his vehicle.
Instead of taking the woman to her home, Mora drove to his apartment at 855 E. University Ave. where, once inside, he prevented the woman from leaving by standing in the front doorway.
Mora kept the woman in his apartment for more than an hour before she was able to escape and run along University Avenue. The woman had visible bruising to her wrists but was not seriously injured.
Mora was booked into the Dona Ana County Detention Center with bond set at $10,000.