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Man arrested for attack on woman in vehicle

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It began with a call that two men and a woman were seen fighting in a driveway on Draco Street in Gamerco about 3 am on July 22. When McKinley County Sheriff Deputy Nacona Clark responded to the call, she saw Rachael Begaye exit the vehicle.

Clark described Begaye as being hysterical, screaming at her to arrest her boyfriend,  Damien Herrera, 30, of Gamerco. Her face was covered in blood. Herrera was sitting in the car so Clark told him to get out and then placed him in handcuffs.

Begaye told Clark that Herrera had been fighting with his brother, Joe Trujillo, and she was trying to calm him down when he turned on her, hitting her several times in the face and trying to choke her.

Trujillo confirmed her story, saying he tried to help her and ended up fighting with Herrera, who also tried to choke him.

When Clark talked to Herrera and asked him what happened, he told her it was Begaye’s fault for getting in the way. He added he did not know who beat up on his girlfriend, adding she looked all right to him.

Clark said she transported Herrera to the county jail where he was charged with aggravated battery against a household member, battery against a household member and aggravated battery.