Man Stops Rape Attempt after Hearing Muffled Screams from Truck

The approximate location of an alleged attempted rape in Santa Ana, Calif., on Dec. 18, 2017. (Screenshot via Google Maps)

A California man thwarted a rape attempt earlier this week when he spotted a woman being strangled in a truck, according to reports.

Taylor O'Neill was driving to work in Santa Ana, California, when a white truck blocked his way, police said on Wednesday.

O'Neill honked a few times, but the truck didn’t move. After he got out of his car and started walking towards the truck, he heard muffled screams from inside.

The approximate location of an alleged attempted rape in Santa Ana, Calif., on Dec. 18, 2017. (Screenshot via Google Maps)

The screams were coming from a 28-year-old woman who has not been named.

According to Santa Ana Police Department, she was walking down the street on Monday, Dec. 18, when a man—later identified as 27-year-old Jorge Cruz De Armas—approached her in the truck and offered her a ride to Wells Fargo. She accepted.

Jorge Cruz De Armas.(Santa Ana Police Department)

But only moments after she got in the truck, De Armas told her he wanted to have sex. She refused.

De Armas drove her to an alley on the East Palm Street, where he started to strangle her and put duct tape on her mouth.

That was when O'Neill had approached the truck and saw what was happening.

“I saw her with her face duct-taped and him on top of her choking her,” O’Neill told Fox 5. “That’s when I tried to open the door and banged on the window to get her out of there, get her safe, and deal with him later.”

The woman managed to unlock the door, got out of the truck, and ran away.

De Armas also decided to flee the scene, but before he could disappear into the distance or turn a corner, O’Neill managed to snap a picture of his truck.

Santa Ana Police detectives arrested De Armas at his workplace “after evidence at the crime scene led police to his identity,” the department stated.

Santa Ana Police Detectives believe there may be additional victims and ask anyone with information contact Detective E. Majors at 714-245-8378, [email protected] or Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS.