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Woman uses smart phone trick to call police during sexual attack

Posted at 6:25 PM, Feb 26, 2018
and last updated 2018-02-26 20:32:27-05

WIMAUMA, Fla. — Hillsborough County deputies say a woman being sexually attacked used a little-known trick on her iPhone to discretely dial 9-1-1.

Deputies say the woman was walking along US 301 in Wimauma early Sunday morning when 22-year-old Sergio Valdez attacked her.

Arrest documents say he choked her, tried to pull her pants off, attempted to force oral sex on her and told the woman she was going to have his baby.

During the attack, the woman hit the screen lock button on the side of her iPhone five times to get to a screen to call 9-1-1.

The call also sent GPS coordinates to dispatchers, who listened to the struggle over the phone and sent deputies to respond. According to the report, dispatchers could hear the woman crying and asking Valdez to stop.

A passing vehicle distracted Valdez and allowed the woman to escape. Deputies arrested him while he was searching for the victim.

Valdez’s mother says she spoke to her son over the phone where he claimed he was set up. She claims he told her the woman is an ex-girlfriend who is jealous that he is dating someone else.

His mother also said she was told the woman invited her son over to have sex.