Montgomery County, Maryland, police have arrested and charged a Silver Spring man with rape and attempted murder.
Police said in a news release that 26-year-old Kevin Mendoza allegedly raped a woman outside an apartment building on the 8500 block of 16th Street in Silver Spring on Friday, just before midnight.
The victim was carrying items from her car to the apartment when she noticed someone following her. The suspect grabbed her from behind as she unlocked the door to the building.
She resisted and tried to yell, but the suspect strangled her. He struck her multiple times in the face and head with a closed fist, police said.
The victim was taken to a hospital, where doctors told police that the severity of the strangulation could have led to her death.
Police developed Mendoza, who was a former resident of the apartment building, as a suspect. They arrested him Monday on Ross Road.
He was charged with first-degree rape, attempted second-degree murder and first-degree assault.
