Police say the victim believed the object was a gun during the alleged threat.
TUCSON, Ariz. — A search warrant that turned up a metal flashlight is shaping part of the case against a Tucson man accused of strangling his girlfriend and threatening her with what she believed was a gun, police said.
Jesus Arturo Guerrero-Martinez, 30, is charged with two counts of domestic violence aggravated assault, kidnapping and aggravated assault with a simulated weapon. The simulated weapon count is tied to what happened after the woman said she escaped a bedroom, where police allege Guerrero-Martinez had strangled and struck her. Investigators later said the object was a flashlight, not a firearm.
The reported search warrant finding gives the case a physical object at the center of one charge. Police said the woman believed Guerrero-Martinez pulled out a gun after she got away from him. The complaint described by local news reports says he threatened her with the object. A later search turned up a metal flashlight that authorities said simulated a gun. That distinction is legally important because prosecutors do not have to allege that a real firearm was used to bring a charge based on a threat with an object presented as a weapon.
The alleged threat came after a sequence that police said began with a household dispute over a laptop. The woman had the laptop because she wanted to watch a movie, according to the interim complaint. Guerrero-Martinez accused her of trying to break it. Police said she returned the laptop to avoid a fight, but he grabbed her by the throat as she walked back toward the living room. Authorities said he then dragged her into a bedroom, which forms part of the basis for the kidnapping allegation.
Once in the bedroom, the complaint says, Guerrero-Martinez threw the woman on a bed, got on top of her and strangled her again. Police said he used both his hands and his forearm. The woman was able to call her mother on FaceTime during the alleged assault. The mother later told police she saw Guerrero-Martinez strangling her daughter through the video call. The mother then drove to the apartment, according to police. Investigators have not publicly said whether they recovered any digital record tied to the call or whether the call itself can be independently verified beyond witness statements.
The woman also reported that Guerrero-Martinez hit her in the face multiple times. She eventually freed herself from the bedroom, police said. That is when the alleged simulated weapon threat occurred. The police account does not state how much time passed between the first throat grab, the bedroom assault, the FaceTime call and the later threat. The public record also does not say whether officers saw visible injuries, whether emergency medical care was provided or whether the mother arrived before officers entered the apartment.
Guerrero-Martinez was arrested April 30 by Tucson police and appeared in court that night. During the early court appearance, a prosecutor broadened the state’s concern beyond the items found in the apartment. The prosecutor said Guerrero-Martinez “has previously tried to kill the victim, has previously threatened to kill the victim, and has previously strangled the victim.” The public account did not give the full record behind that statement. Guerrero-Martinez did not address the court with a detailed account, while his attorney spoke for him, according to the reported hearing.
The charges combine several different claims from the same reported incident. The aggravated assault counts are tied to the alleged strangulation and domestic violence context. The kidnapping charge reflects the accusation that the woman was dragged from one area of the apartment into another. The simulated weapon charge rests on the reported threat with the object the woman believed was a gun. Prosecutors will have to prove the elements of each count separately if the case proceeds to trial, and the defense can challenge the statements, the search, the identification of the object and the meaning of the defendant’s actions.
The Pima County Adult Detention Center held Guerrero-Martinez on a $150,000 bond after the arrest, according to the reported jail information. The jail is the main detention facility for people booked by agencies in the Tucson area. His custody status could change if bond is posted, a judge modifies release terms or future hearings change the detention decision. For now, the reported bond amount reflects the court’s early handling of the case, not a finding of guilt.
The next stage is expected to focus on formal filings and evidence review. The search warrant return, the flashlight, the mother’s statement, the woman’s injuries and any police recordings could become part of later hearings. Guerrero-Martinez is presumed innocent unless convicted.
Author note: Last updated May 23, 2026.