Woman Choked By Ex-Boyfriend In East Village, Police Say

EAST VILLAGE, NY — A man choked a woman and punched her in the face while she sat in his car in the East Village, then tried to speed away from police, according to police and prosecutors.

Brandon Morrison was arrested Wednesday night and accused of choking the woman after she refused to let him take her phone, according to a criminal complaint. The woman was reportedly Morrison's ex-girlfriend.

Police said that Morrison, 28, was driving with the woman in the East Village on Wednesday night when he tried to grab her phone from her lap. When Morrison was unable to unlock the woman's phone, he grabbed her by the throat and punched her repeatedly, prosecutors said. Morrison was driving near 12th Street and Third Avenue at the time.

The woman tried to leave the car but he grabbed her and her purse to keep her inside, according to authorities.

When an NYPD officer tried to stop Morrison as he drove off, he sped away, nearly hitting the officer in the process before eventually being arrested after getting stuck in traffic 10 blocks later, police said.

The woman was left with a swollen eye and cuts and scratches on her face and neck.

Morrison was charged with robbery, criminal obstruction of breathing and unlawful imprisonment, among other charges. He was arraigned Thursday night, with his bail set at $20,000.

Morrison's defense attorney said in court that the charges against his client were an "inflated allegation," according to the New York Daily News.

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