Police arrested a 25-year-old North Huntingdon man Thursday, charging him with simple assault and strangulation after he was accused of choking and punching a female relative, police said.
Brandon M. O’Brien was taken into custody a few blocks from his home on Lavonne Drive just before 9 p.m. after police interviewed the woman. She told police that she began arguing with O’Brien over his drinking alcohol and the disagreement turned physical.
The woman told police that O’Brien began choking her, “causing her to be unable to breath for several seconds” and then punched her three times in the face. Police said she was bleeding near her right eye and and had redness about her face and neck.
Police said the woman said she broke free inside the home but that O’Brien chased her through the first floor. When he caught her, the woman told police that he spit on her and began yelling profanities.
Police said O’Brien fled the house, but they located him less than a mile away on Caruthers Avenue near Laurel Lane.
In addition to simple assault and strangulation, O’Brien was also arraigned Friday on charges of disorderly conduct and harassment. He was ordered held in the county jail on $20,000 bond. A preliminary hearing is scheduled Dec. 8.
He did not have an attorney listed in court documents.
