Quincy man accused of strangling girlfriend

QUINCY — A Quincy man is facing charges after he allegedly strangled his girlfriend during an attack over the weekend.

Grant County prosecutors charged Pablo Zapien, 22, of Quincy, with second-degree assault and harassment. Both charges had domestic violence enhancements.

Early Saturday morning the Quincy Police Department received a report of a possible physical domestic violence incident in progress at an apartment in the 200 block of D Street Southeast. A officer arrived at the call and contacted the female victim, whom the officer reported had swelling to her face, bruises to her neck and blood on her face and clothes, according to court documents.

The victim alleged she had fallen asleep and woke up when her boyfriend, Zapien, started strangling her. She said she passed out three times during the struggle and Zapien started hitting her with a closed fist while holding a knife in his hand, kicking her in the back and telling her he was going to kill her. The victim told police she believed Zapien’s threat was legitimate and he would kill her. She said she felt pain from her injuries and at some point was able to strike Zapien in the groin area and temporarily free herself from his grasp.

She was reportedly able to make it out of her front door and knocked on her neighbor’s door while yelling for help. Zapien allegedly grabbed the victim by her leg and attempted to drag her back toward the apartment. A neighbor who was nearby reported hearing the struggle and yelled toward Zapien and the victim. Zapien reportedly stopped, grabbed his belongings and fled on foot.

The victim said as Zapien was grabbing his things he stole her $900 cellphone. The QPD officer’s report does not indicate what prompted the incident.

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.