A man was arrested on felony charges on Friday for reportedly trying to take his ex-girlfriend’s cellphone, punching her in the head and driving off with her car, police say.
The Juneau Police Department said in a release they recovered the vehicle and arrested 30-year-old Asma Fifta in the 3200 block of Bresee Street.
Fifta was charged with first-degree vehicle theft, second-degree robbery and third-degree criminal mischief, all Class C felonies. Fifta was also charged with fourth-degree assault, a misdemeanor. He was taken to Lemon Creek Correctional Center and then arraigned in Juneau court Friday morning.
Lt. Krag Campbell, a spokesman for the department, said by email that the robbery, criminal mischief and assault charges are domestic violence-related crimes.
According to police, dispatchers received a report at 4:32 p.m. Wednesday that a 23-year-old woman on Foster Avenue was yelling for someone to call the police because a man had just stolen her car.
When dispatchers spoke to the woman, she said her ex-boyfriend — whom she identified as Fifta — had stolen her phone, her keys and her 2016 Dodge Journey.
According to police, their investigation found that the woman had been giving Fifta a ride in her car when he tried to take her cellphone from her. The woman grabbed the cellphone, but Fifta took it away again.
“He then punched her multiple times on the side of her head with his fist,” according to the police statement.
The woman stopped her car and got out. Fifta is accused of getting into the driver’s seat and drove away with the car and cellphone.
• Contact reporter James Brooks at jbrooks@juneauempire.com or 523-2258.
