‘This guy is trying to kill me': Florida deputy accused of attacking woman he met at nightclub
MIAMI, Fla. (WFLA) — A Florida deputy is accused of attacking a woman he met at a Miami nightclub at his downtown apartment this week.
Lt. Daniel Chala, 54, with the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office, was booked into jail on Monday after a woman suffered physical abuse, according to a report from NBC affiliate WTVJ.
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An arrest report obtained by the news station states the victim met the lieutenant at E11even nightclub and was invited back to his apartment. Once in the bedroom, she sat on his bed and the two kissed, before Chala asked her an undisclosed question which 'confused the victim due to it being previously answered,' the document said.
When the woman got up to walk to the bedroom door, Chala grabbed her around the neck and kissed her. WTVJ said that she initially believed it was a sexual engagement and went along with it, but his grip became progressively tighter.
Despite her begging him to let go, he refused to, the outlet reported. After a brief struggle, she was able to escape and go to a neighboring apartment unit for help.
A resident allegedly told officials that she heard a knock on her door and someone yelling, 'This guy is trying to kill me; he has my bags.'
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Through the peephole, the resident saw the woman bleeding from her mouth and let her in, calling the front desk and asking for police. The witness allegedly recorded the victim going back to Chala's apartment to get her things, where he put her shoes and purse outside the door.
According to authorities, the woman suffered visible red marks to her neck and chin, along with a broken right pinky nail and right ring fingernail.
Chala denied any physical contact with the woman 'other than kissing her on the hand.' He also claimed she wanted to lie down in his bed, but he refused and told her to leave, saying that's when she went banging on neighbors' doors.
When detectives questioned him regarding a potential makeup stain on his shirt, he told them, 'Maybe I hugged a girl. I don't know,' the report said.
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In a statement from the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office, obtained by WTVJ, Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz said:
I am disappointment [sic] to learn that one of my deputies has been arrested,' the statement read. 'I expect every member of this office to conduct themselves with integrity, professionalism, and respect for the oath they have taken. When someone falls short of those expectations, it tarnishes our profession and the public's trust.
Chala was arrested on charges of battery and false imprisonment. The judge set his bond at $1,000.
This marks the second Miami-Dade official arrested this month. On Easter Sunday, a Miami-Dade police officer allegedly struck his wife approximately 40 times. He was arrested on charges of battery causing bodily harm and robbery without a firearm or weapon, and was granted a $50,000 bond.
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