Female jogger fights attacker
Police arrest teenager in sex assault attempt not far from CC Beach
By david kassabian Caller-Times
March 30, 2007
A visitor tackled while jogging near Corpus Christi Beach kicked and screamed, thwarting her attacker Thursday morning, in what police believe was an attempted sexual assault that has one man in jail.
The 44-year-old woman from Minnesota was running in the 4400 block of Surfside Boulevard at 7:15 a.m. when she passed two men on the side of the road, police Cmdr. David Torres said. One of the men made a lewd comment as she passed and began chasing her, Torres said.
Torres said that as the man caught up to the woman, he said, "We can do this the hard way or the easy way - I have a gun." The man tackled her a few seconds later and tried to cover her mouth with his hand, Torres said.
The woman screamed and fought, Torres said, and after several seconds the man ran.
"The important thing is she fought back and yelled the whole time at the top of her lungs," Torres said. "This appears to be a random act - this isn't a common occurrence. Most times the victim and attacker have a history."
Police arrested 17-year-old Eric Ruiz
a short time later at a nearby motel on suspicion of attempted aggravated sexual assault, Torres said. Police didn't find a gun during the arrest.
Ruiz, a Corpus Christi resident, remained at the Nueces County Jail on Thursday evening on a $50,000 bond, jail officials said. Torres said the other man, also 17, was arrested but released because he did not participate.
An officer investigating the case tracked Ruiz to the motel on a hunch after the property owner reported several disturbance calls involving one of the guests, Torres said. Officers knocked on the door and the man answering was wearing the same clothing the jogger reported seeing, Torres said. He later was identified by the woman as her attacker, Torres said.
The 44-year-old suffered minor injuries, including scratches to her face, Torres said. She was not taken to the hospital, he said.