Contributed Photo/Courtesy GCSO: Billy Perez, 23, of Thatcher, was arrested and booked into jail on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, endangerment, and leaving the scene of an accident.
Victim had to be transferred to Tucson hospital due to the severity of his injuries
By Jon Johnson
SAFFORD – A domestic violence incident on April 9 ended with the victim hospitalized and the suspect jailed.
Billy Josiah Perez, 23, was arrested and booked into the Graham County Adult Detention Facility. He has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, failure to stop at an accident scene, and endangerment.
According to a Safford Police report, officers were dispatched at about 8:38 a.m. to the Pinaleño Foothills Apartments at 2500 S. 17th Ave. regarding a domestic violence incident involving a victim being struck by a vehicle.
Upon the officer’s arrival, paramedics from Lifeline Ambulance were treating the victim, who was incoherent and had lost a “moderate amount” of blood on the asphalt that appeared to come from a head injury, according to the investigating officer. The victim was initially taken to Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center but was then transferred to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tucson, where he was treated for a skull fracture and later released.
The officer then spoke with a witness who described hearing Perez banging on an apartment door and then later witnessed the alleged assault.
“Billy just (expletive deleted) ran him over, and he hit the ground,” the witness told the officer. He said the victim ran from the apartment as Perez was backing out of a parking space and went in front of the vehicle in an apparent attempt to stop Perez from leaving. Perez then “gunned it”, struck the victim, and continued on his way, according to the witness’ statement to police.
The vehicle was identified as a black Jeep Compass and it, along with Perez, was quickly located in Solomon as officers with the Thatcher Police Department and deputies with the Graham County Sheriff’s Office assisted.
When questioned about the incident, Perez said he had gone over to his boyfriend’s apartment because he wouldn’t answer his phone and when he got there he saw two women in his bed. This angered Perez to the point where he left. He said the victim ran toward his vehicle as he was leaving and jumped on the hood. Perez said he then backed up quickly so the victim would fall from the vehicle and after he did Perez left the area.
“I was pissed, so I took off,” Perez allegedly told the investigating officer. “He hopped on the car. I guess that’s when he hit his head on the windshield . . . I didn’t even realize the window was cracked until I was on my way home.”
The officer located “two distinct handprints” on the front of the hood and damage to the passenger side of the windshield. When asked why he didn’t call the police or stay at the scene, Perez allegedly said he wanted to get away and that he was worried the victim would have damaged the vehicle more if he had stayed. Perez was then placed under arrest and booked into jail. He has since posted a $15,000 bond on April 13 and was released.
A couple of days after the incident, the investigating officer spoke with the victim, who had been released from the hospital.
The victim said while he had been in a past relationship with Perez they were not currently together. He said he had gone to a barbecue with some friends and afterward allowed a female friend and her friend to stay at his residence for the evening. He said he slept on the couch and allowed his guests to use his bedroom. When Perez came to his residence, the victim said Perez accused him of having sex with the females and that he tried to stop Perez from leaving when he was struck by the vehicle. The victim also said he doesn’t remember anything that happened after the verbal argument and that he only remembers waking up in Tucson.
