Inset: Obed Reyes (Hall County Jail). Background: The smashed apartment wall in question in Gainesville, Ga. (Gainesville Police Department).
A Georgia man is behind bars for attacking a teenage girl after accessing her family's home in an unusual way, Peach State police say.
Obed Reyes, 29, stands accused of one count each of kidnapping, aggravated assault, burglary, and criminal attempt, as well as two counts of cruelty to children in the third degree, according to the Gainesville Police Department.
The underlying incident occurred on Aug. 4 at an apartment complex on Summit Street Southeast in Gainesville, a medium-sized city located roughly 55 miles northeast of Atlanta.
At around 10 p.m. on the night in question, the defendant broke into the victim's unit — by smashing directly through the closet wall, police said, according to Atlanta-based ABC affiliate WSB.
Once inside the other unit, Reyes allegedly set his sights on a 15-year-old girl, police said. He grabbed the girl by her hair and repeatedly punched her in front of the teenager's 5-year-old and 7-year-old family members, according to law enforcement.
The victim got out of the man's clutches — at least at first — and fled into the breezeway, police said. But Reyes allegedly kept after the girl, grabbed her by the hair, and hit her again as she screamed for help.
During the attack, Reyes allegedly threatened to rape the victim.
As the victim fought off the defendant, witnesses called 911, police said. Officers arrived at the apartment complex to find the assault in progress, then intervened and pulled the man off the girl, police said.
"I commend the witnesses' quick response of calling 911 to get our officers there in time to prevent further torment and trauma of the victim," Gainesville Police Chief Jay Parrish said in a statement. "'See something, say something' goes a long way in our community, and we are grateful to have a community that looks out for each other. Our officers did an excellent job removing a violent criminal off the streets, and that was just the beginning."
Investigators said both the victim and the defendant lived in the same apartment building but did not otherwise know one another.
The defendant is being detained in the Hall County Jail on no bond. He is also on an immigration detainer, records show.
"The victim has a long road of recovery ahead following such traumatic events, and we hope our community can surround her with that support," Parrish added in comments to WSB.