Man charged in brutal assault of woman experiencing seizure at Waco homeless camp

WACO, Texas (KWTX) - Andy Bermea, 51, is charged with aggravated assault resulting in serious bodily injuries after he attempted to strangle a woman experiencing a seizure at a homeless camp, an arrest warrant affidavit states.

It happened June 29 in the 1500 block of Summer Avenue, according to the warrant. The victim told police officers she was sexually assaulted by an unknown individual and later physically assaulted by Bermea, a resident of the homeless camp.

The victim stated she suffers from “seizures often and while she was having one, (Bermea) began biting, hitting, and strangulating” her, the warrant states.

Police noticed the victim had “swollen body parts, bite marks, and was hysterically crying,” the document further alleges.

Another resident of the homeless camp told police she witnessed Bermea assaulting the victim and had to intervene. The victim further claimed she feared for her life and believed Bermea would have killed her if the witness had not intervened, police wrote in the warrant.

When police spoke with Bermea he claimed he became upset with the victim after she claimed she had been sexually assaulted and was merely trying to restrain her by holding onto her.

Other occupants of the homeless camp, however, told police Bermea is “violent and aggressive,” officers wrote in the warrant.

The man was taken into custody for “almost killing (the victim) via suffocation if not for the witness intervening,” the warrant further states.

The document did not include information about an investigation into who sexually assaulted the victim at the camp.

Bermea is being held on a $4,000 bond at the McLennan County Jail.

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