Iowa City Police: Two Women Charged with Felony for Assaulting Woman Inside Car

Two women are facing felony charges after pollicy say they blocked a woman inside a car with their vehicle and assaulted her in the back seat.

Police say they responded to an assault call at 12:40 a.m. at 517 S. Riverside Drive on Mar. 18, according to an Iowa City Police criminal complaint. Police learned from subsequent investigation that two women -- Nuvia Gallegos, 28, of Iowa City, and Yadira Gallegos, 33, of Muscatine -- had been involved in the assault of another woman.

According to the police complaint, the third woman had been involved in an earlier dispute at Brother's Bar with both Gallegos women. According to witnesses, a vehicle with the Nuvia and Yadira inside pulled up behind the vehicle with the victim inside at the Riverside Drive address, blocking the car's departure.

Nuvia and Yadira Gallegos then allegedly found the woman in the backseat of the vehicle, opened the door, and assaulted her, hitting her "40 to 50" times according to witnesses. The female victim suffered abrasions to her face and "goose egg" bumps on her head, and was transferred to the hospital for treatment of a conscussion.

Both Yadira and Nuvia Gallegos were charged with first-degree burglary, a Class B felony, for invading the space of the car, and assault causing bodily injury, a serious misdemeanor.

The pair has been booked into the Johnson County Jail where they are being held on $27,500 bond.