HIALEAH, Fla. – A Hialeah man was arrested Wednesday after police said he threatened to kill his girlfriend and her son “like a dog” during a violent confrontation that left the victim injured.
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The incident occurred on Jan. 1 when police officers responded to an aggravated assault report at an apartment in Hialeah.
According to an arrest report, the victim told Hialeah police that her boyfriend of one year, William Rodriguez, 61, attacked her during an argument over family matters.
Authorities said Rodriguez, who was listed as homeless in his arrest report, escalated the argument by retrieving a black handgun from a bag and striking the woman on the left side of her head, while telling her in Spanish, “I’m going to kill you and your son like a dog.”
The victim said Rodriguez also kicked her while she was on the ground and later threatened her with a knife from the kitchen, according to the report.
Before fleeing the apartment police said Rodriguez took the victim’s cellphone and warned her not to call the police, saying he would return to kill her if she did.
Police also noted that the victim had an abrasion on the left side of her face consistent with her account of the attack.
Authorities said Rodriguez voluntarily went to the Hialeah Police Department for an interview on Wednesday.
After being read his Miranda rights, investigators confirmed that Rodriguez denied all allegations except for confronting the victim about his cellphone.
A records check by investigators revealed Rodriguez was under a domestic violence injunction issued in 2000, which prohibited him from possessing guns or any kind of weapon.
Police determined there was probable cause to arrest Rodriguez for violating the injunction and on charges related to the Jan. 1 incident.
Jail records show Rodriguez is facing one count each of aggravated battery with a firearm or deadly weapon causing great bodily harm, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, third-degree grand theft, tampering with a firearm and violation of injunction against using a firearm.
As of Thursday, Rodriguez is being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where his bond was listed as “to be set.”