Assault Suspect Beat Girlfriend For 14 Hours: Tacoma Police

TACOMA, WA - The FBI and Tacoma police on Tuesday arrested a 25-year-old who is accused of savagely beating his 19-year-old girlfriend while he held her hostage in their apartment for roughly 14 hours in late January.

Jermaine Laron Abdul Gore, Jr. is being held at Pierce County Jail for unlawful possession of a controlled substance (cocaine) and second-degree assault. Gore's jail-hold also consists of two warrants, one of which stems from the assault incident.

According to Tacoma police investigators, Gore was picked up on Tuesday from an apartment where he was supposedly hiding out. After learning of Gore's location, officers converged on the apartment and demanded Gore come out, which he did without any apparent incident.

Court documents show investigators found a baggie of cocaine in Gore's pocket following his arrest.

The search for Gore began on Jan. 29, after his girlfriend was found in a parking lot with "'significant' injuries," according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by Patch.

Gore's girlfriend, however, did not immediately cop to what Gore had allegedly done and instead told emergency responders she'd been attacked in a robbery that she did not wish to report.

At Tacoma General Hospital, medical staff discovered the injured and dehydrated teen was suffering from multiple fractured ribs, two fractured vertebrae, an orbital fracture around her left eye, a fractured left finger, and kidney failure.

Speaking to hospital staff, the victim admitted she'd lied to police investigators about the cause of her injuries because of her fear of Gore, who she said she'd been dating for about one year.

Divulging in full the various causes of her injuries, the victim said Gore had become enraged the night before, Jan. 28, after discovering an old Snapchat photo on her phone.

Following his discovery, Gore allegedly beat and whipped his teen girlfriend using some kind of cord, which he also used to strangle her at times. Pinning the woman to the floor during the assault, Gore also allegedly grasped his girlfriend's neck with both hands and choked her until she went unconscious.

Gore then reportedly held the teen hostage in the apartment for roughly 14 hours — from that night until around noon Jan. 29 — before he finally let her call herself an ambulance.

Upon learning the truth of the woman's injuries, investigators filed a cause for arrest Feb. 1 but were unable to find Gore; it was believed he may have fled the state, investigators said.

Gore was eventually located Feb. 12 at the apartment where he was arrested.

Gore's criminal history is remarkably extensive considering his age, investigators said. With 13 felony convictions, 11 misdemeanor convictions, and seven cases with warrant history, Gore's future appears bleak.

Two previous convictions for second-degree assault make this most recent assault charge a viable strike three on Gore's record, investigators said. That means Gore faces the likely prospect of a mandatory life sentence in a state prison.

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Image via Tacoma Police Department/@TacomaPD