Frightening moment no-nonsense mom fights off intruder who barged into home and grabbed her neck after asking to use the restroom
An Arizona mother was caught on camera fighting off an intruder she claims barged into her home and grabbed at her neck after asking to use the bathroom.
Bella Torres was seen in home security footage striking the attacker, whom cops have identified as Adrian Ayala, 20, on Friday and pushing him back while asking ‘What the f*** is wrong with you’ in the moments after he showed up at her home in Buckeye.
Ayala, who seemed to be stumbling, replies: ‘I was on drugs. I’m on drugs.’
He then went on to claim Torres’ boyfriend sent him, but when Torres asked Ayala what her husband’s name is, he did not respond.
Then, when her husband returned home and started to approach them, Ayala could be seen running away.
The terrifying encounter came as Torres was getting ready to go ‘Trunk or Treating’ with her children, she told Arizona Family.
Her husband, who was dressed up as Shrek for the event, ran to a store down the street and Torres was left alone with her one-year-old daughter when she heard the front door alarm go off.
At first, she said she thought her husband had come home. But instead, a stranger opened the front door.
Bella Torres spoke out about how an intruder barged into her home in Buckeye, Arizona last Friday and grabbed at her throat
Torres was caught on surveillance footage fighting off the attacker, whom cops have identified as Adrian Ayala, 20, on Friday and pushing him back
‘All he says is “Can I use you restroom?” And as he says “restroom,” he starts to charge at me and grabs my neck,’ Torres recounted to 12 News.
The two then struggled on the floor of her kitchen and bathroom, before she said Ayala kicked her daughter and demanded she take off her clothes.
‘My first instinct is just to protect her,’ Torres said of her daughter.
She said then was able to get away and call for help.
‘I start running towards the door, it’s still wide open at this point,’ she described. ‘I screamed as loud as I could for help.’
Hearing the scream, a neighbor contacted police.
Meanwhile, the fight moved outside, where the brave mother was caught on camera fighting off her would-be attacker.
Once she was finally safe, Torres shared the video on social media in hopes of warning her neighbors and tracking down the suspect.
One of Ayala’s relatives then saw the video, and alerted Buckeye Police to his identity, according to court documents obtained by Arizona Family.
Ayala is facing several felony charges, including aggravated assault, burglary and sexual assault. He was released from custody on a $25,000 appearance bond
Ayala was caught on the surveillance footage approaching Torres’ home
Ayala could be heard saying in the footage that he was on drugs and claiming that Torres’ husband had sent him to the home
He declined to speak to police after he was taken into custody.
But at his initial court appearance on Sunday, an attorney for the 20-year-old called the entire situation ‘a giant misunderstanding.’
He claimed his client was drawn to the home by Torres’ husband for a ‘role playing scenario’ that the two men had agreed upon on Reddit.
‘He understood from the victim’s boyfriend that this is something that they did and the victim was consenting to,’ the lawyer argued.
Still, a judge found probable cause for several felony charges, including aggravated assault, burglary and sexual assault.
‘I don’t care if her husband said he could go in there and do that, that’s not a defense,’ the judge declared. ‘That’s problematic.’
His attorney called the entire situation ‘a giant misunderstanding’ at Ayala’s initial court appearance on Sunday
Torres is now fighting back against Ayala’s claims, insisting that he is a complete stranger to both her and her husband.
Neighbors had even seen Ayala walking around other houses in the area before he approached her house, Torres noted as she argued: ‘I just got caught in the crossfire.’
‘It’s just gross,’ she told 12 News. ‘I can’t count how many times I’ve tried to take a shower.’
She added that she will now be taking additional steps to keep her family safe, including by ‘getting more cameras.’
Court records show Ayala has been released from custody on a $25,000 appearance bond. In the meantime, police said they have obtained both Ayala’s phone and Torres’ phone to investigate his claims that the two coordinated the attack.
