'I literally thought I was about to die,' female Texas soldier tells police after brutal assault

Jacob Andrew Avila, a 21-year-old soldier at Fort Hood in Killeen, has been charged with assault causing bodily injury and unlawful restraint. He is accused of slapping a female soldier on April 3, 2016 during a party at his home in Copperas Cove. less Jacob Andrew Avila, a 21-year-old soldier at Fort Hood in Killeen, has been charged with assault causing bodily injury and unlawful restraint. He is accused of slapping a female soldier on April 3, 2016 during ... more Photo: Copperas Cove Police Department Photo: Copperas Cove Police Department Image 1 of / 11 Caption Close 'I literally thought I was about to die,' female Texas soldier tells police after brutal assault 1 / 11 Back to Gallery

A Fort Hood soldier allegedly slapped a female soldier after finding her "making out" with a colleague at a party, court documents show.

Jacob Andrew Avila, 21, turned himself in to Copperas Cove police on Tuesday. He faces charges of assault causing bodily injury and unlawful restraint.

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According to an arrest affidavit, the female soldier was "making out" with another soldier during a party Sunday at Avila's house in Copperas Cove when Avila and Lucas Curtis, a Killeen man who is not enlisted, walked in and told her to leave the bedroom.

The female soldier left the room to use a restroom in the master bedroom, according to the affidavit.

When she exited the bathroom, Curtis grabbed her by the neck, shoved her against a wall and began slapping her with an open hand, the female soldier told police.

Curtis squeezed her neck tight enough that she was unable to breathe and lost consciousness, she told police.

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Avila and Curtis both slapped her, the female soldier told police, but the Killeen man punched her several times and choked her more than once.

Curtis straddled the female soldier after she fell over a metal rabbit cage on the bedroom floor, according to the arrest affidavit.

"I literally thought I was about to die," she told police.

Another soldier then stopped the altercation, according to the affidavit, and the woman was eventually transported to Darnell Hospital.

The female soldier told police she suffered a ruptured ear drum, a mild concussion and several abrasions to the right and left side of her face and neck, the affidavit says.

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An arrest warrant has been issued for Curtis, Copperas Cove police told The Associated Press.

"III Corps and Fort Hood takes all reports of assault seriously," post spokesman Tom Rheinlander said in a statement Wednesday. "Military law enforcement officials are investigating the allegations in cooperation with civilian law enforcement. The chain of command for the soldiers involved are aware of the incident and will ensure all appropriate measures are taken."

jfechter@mySA.com

Twitter: @JFreports