Man kidnaps, sexually assaults woman waiting for roadside assistance: police

roadside assistance sexual assault in Austin

A man accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a woman is behind bars. Austin police said the victim was waiting on the side of a road for help after her tire blew out.

AUSTIN, Texas - A man is behind bars after police say he kidnapped and sexually assaulted a woman waiting for roadside assistance on the side of the road.

Austin police say 31-year-old Reynaldo Tapia-Arcibar is now charged with aggravated kidnapping and sexual abuse.

On May 16 at 3:30 a.m., police got a call from a woman screaming for help saying she had just been sexually assaulted. According to court documents, the woman told police she had been waiting for roadside assistance in Northeast Austin for just over an hour when a man in a white SUV pulled up. 

The woman needed help with a blown out tire and the man tricked her into thinking he was there for that.

The affidavit says the suspect got the victim into his passenger seat and told her he was going to take her to get a new tire. The suspect drove about 10 minutes north to an apartment complex parking lot where he began sexually assaulting the victim.

31-year-old Reynaldo Tapia-Arcibar

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At first, the woman was unable to escape but did send a friend to her location asking for help. The woman was eventually able to get out of the car and ran away, calling 911.

The suspect fled the scene, but seven hours later, police returned to the parking lot and saw a man who matched the suspect's description leaving one of the apartments. Police identified the suspect as Reynaldo Tapia-Arcibar. He was arrested and charged with kidnapping and sexual abuse.

Tapia-Arcibar is being held on a $50,000 bond.

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