A 37-year-old man was arrested after police said he punched, kicked, and strangled his ex-girlfriend during an encounter in southeast Fresno, the Fresno Police Department said.

Officers responded about 11:02 p.m. Friday to an area near Jensen and Fowler avenues after receiving a welfare check call about a woman crying in a parking lot.

The woman told officers she had met with her ex-boyfriend, Jesus Antonio Leyva, earlier that evening to discuss their previous relationship. Leyva asked her for a ride, but she told him she could not drive because she had been drinking, police said.

Leyva then drove the woman’s vehicle toward a friend’s house before instead stopping in a nearby parking lot near Jensen and Fowler avenues, according to police.

The woman got out of the vehicle and attempted to walk away and call someone for a ride. Police said Leyva became angry, punched her in the face, took her cellphone, grabbed her arm, and dragged her toward the vehicle.

During the struggle, Leyva put his hands around the woman’s neck and strangled her for about 20 to 25 seconds before punching and kicking her in the face and forcing her into the passenger seat, police said.

While Leyva searched for the car keys, the woman locked the vehicle’s doors and began honking the horn and flashing the headlights. Leyva tried unsuccessfully to get back inside before fleeing on foot, police said.

The woman remained inside the vehicle for about 20 minutes while trying to attract someone’s attention. A passing driver saw her and called police.

Police said the woman suffered multiple facial injuries, bruising to her neck, a chipped tooth, and cuts to both arms.

Investigators also learned of previous domestic violence incidents that had not been reported, including allegations that Leyva threatened to harm the woman if she left him. Police said Leyva also appeared unannounced at her workplace several times after they broke up.

At about 1:46 a.m. Saturday, officers received automated license plate reader notifications indicating Leyva’s possible location. Officers found him in his vehicle at a business near South Clovis and East Inyo avenues and arrested him without incident.

Leyva was booked into the Fresno County Jail on charges related to the investigation, including felony domestic violence, assault with a deadly weapon, stalking, and felony DUI, police said.

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