A Jim Thorpe man has been charged with assaulting and choking another man Aug. 8 in Lehighton.

According to the affidavit of probable cause filed by patrolman Joel Gulla of the Lehighton Borough Police Department in the case against Jason Perez:

At around 10:10 a.m. Aug. 8, Lehighton police were dispatched to the 100 block of South First Street for the report of an assault.

The caller stated that a man was lying on the ground and that the assailant was observed running across the street.

Gulla arrived on location and spoke with the victim, who stated a Hispanic male he did not know had punched him in the face for no reason.

He said after punching him, the man threw him to the ground and put him in a headlock and began choking him to the point he started to lose consciousness and thought he was going to die.

The man said the assailant got up and kicked him in the chest and stated “your stuff is mine” and grabbed his iPhone 11 Pro valued at $1,000 and ran from the scene.

The man started to describe the assailant as a Hispanic male who ran across the street and into the 100 block of South First Street.

As the victim pointed out the address, a man could be scene pacing around inside behind the curtains.

As police approached the apartment building, the front door opened and a Hispanic man exited and began yelling, saying that the worked for the CIA and that they weren’t his kind.

The victim identified him as the same man who had taken his cellphone, and the suspect became uncooperative and refused commands.

The man, Perez, 38, was advised several times to place his hands behind his back, which he failed to do.

Eventually, Perez reached into his front pocket and handed Gulla a cellphone that the victim identified as his.

Perez was then taken into custody without further incident.

Perez was identified by a South Carolina driver’s license that was found in his front pocket.

The man and Perez were transported back to the police station for further questioning.

Once at the station, the victim was questioned again, and EMS was summoned to treat his injuries.

Also, while speaking with the man, Gulla observed him to have a bloody mouth, ear and to have extreme redness around his neck, which was consistent with his version of events.

Gulla tried to speak with Perez, but he became irrational and talked over him. When Gulla tried to read him his Miranda warnings, he stated “go ahead and place me in jail.”

Perez faces charges of aggravated assault, robbery, theft by unlawful taking, strangulation, simple assault, and harassment.

Perez is in jail in lieu of $100,000 monetary bail, and scheduled to have a preliminary hearing Aug. 21 before District Judge Eric M. Schrantz of Jim Thorpe.