A 34-year-old Alexandria man is being held without bond after allegedly drugging a woman at an Old Town bar and raping her on an outdoor patio of a nearby hotel.
The victim told police that on the night of Sept. 15, she had dinner and drinks with a friend in Old Town. Afterward, she and her friend walked to a popular bar near the waterfront, where she had another drink and waited with her friend for two men to join them, according to a recently released search warrant affidavit.
Once the two men arrived, the foursome drank two shots of tequila apiece. The victim then ordered a second rum and Coke and left a nearly full glass when she and her friend left to use the restroom, according to the affidavit.
“After returning from the bathroom, [the victim] finished her previously unattended rum and Coke and then shortly after began to feel very ill,” the Alexandria Police Department said in the affidavit.
The victim told police she drank water and went outside, and the male companion assured the others that he would take care of her. She also said she’d had a “normal consumption of alcohol,” and that the man even held her hair as she vomited outside the restaurant. She recalled having a hard time standing up straight and the man leading her away from the restaurant to an outdoor area with a couch.
The man then allegedly raped the victim, who was falling in and out of consciousness, she told police.
The victim said the assault stopped when someone called out the suspect’s first name — Tony. He quickly pulled her dress down, pulled up his pants and “flung her over his shoulder to carry her to the car to meet her friends,” according to the affidavit.
After getting in the car, the victim told her friend what happened and said that she never wanted the suspect to do anything to her, the affidavit said.
APD reviewed video surveillance footage and saw the suspect escorting the victim “in a manner in which she appeared to be incapable of walking under her own power,” according to the affidavit. “He is then observed placing/positioning a limp [victim] onto a couch located within the side patio area of [a nearby hotel] … Upon placing/positioning [the victim] on the couch, [the suspect] could be seen on top of [the victim] in various positions while making movements that were consistent with the sexual offenses described by [the victim].”
Tony Vegas El was arrested Sept. 17, and charged with raping a helpless victim, abduction with intent to defile, and aggravated sexual battery.
“Following the sexual assault, Mr. El could be seen for a prolonged period struggling to hold upright the limp body of [the victim], before ultimately slinging/throwing her over his shoulder to carry her away from the incident location,” APD said in the affidavit. “As Mr. El was observed exiting the frame of the video, [the victim] could be seen dangling limply as she was being carried away from the side patio area by Mr. El.”
El told police that the sexual contact was consensual, APD said in the affidavit.
“During his interview, Mr. El repeatedly confirmed that [the victim] vomited several times, was struggling to walk and stand upright and that he was aiding her during the time outside the restaurant,” APD said in the affidavit. “During his interview, Mr. El also confirmed to your Affiant that he engaged in sexual contact with [the victim], to include oral sex and what he described as ‘attempted vaginal penetration.'”
El’s preliminary hearing is on Oct. 28.
