CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Former Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez was arrested Wednesday on a battery charge.
According to an arrest report, Alvarez and the victim have been in an ongoing relationship for 14 years.
The woman and her teenage daughter both told Coral Gables police officers that Alvarez has been abusive toward the victim since 2013.
Coral Gables police said the woman went to Alvarez's home on Saturday to return his cat and the couple got into an argument.
Police said Alvarez grabbed the woman by both arms and pinned her against a wall inside the building's parking garage.
According to the report, the former mayor spit at the victim while yelling profanities at her.
Police said the victim's physical injuries are consistent with the statements she gave to police.
Alvarez turned himself in on Wednesday at the Coral Gables police station and was taken to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
The arrest comes as a surprise to Alvarez's neighbors.
"It's very shocking to me because it's such a quiet building," Gillian Shepard said. "I mean, the security guard walks around here 24/7."
Alvarez, who was kicked out of the mayor's office following a recall in 2011, won first place in the heavyweight class and the overall in the Masters Over-60 Division at the National Physique Competition South Florida body building tournament in November 2012.
He also previously served as director of the Miami-Dade Police Department from 1997 to 2004, when he was first elected mayor.