Antonio Amaya-Guevara, center, after his arrest for burglarizing a home and punching a 17-year-old girl, deputies said. (Image: Martin County Sheriff’s Office)
A burglary suspect fled after a 17-year-old girl confronted him at her home, but when the teen followed him to take pictures, the suspect began punching her in the face, according to a Facebook post and court documents viewed by Law&Crime.
Antonio Amaya-Guevara, 42, is currently held at the Martin County Jail in Florida on a $250,000 bond, a staffer told Law&Crime. Charges include occupied burglary and child abuse.
The incident happened Friday afternoon at a home in the Hobe Sound community, according to local deputies.
The girl was home alone, lying on her bed when she heard a loud noise, authorities said.
“She then observed an unknown Hispanic male walking around inside her home,” documents wrote. “She confronted the individual who asked her if she spoke Spanish. He then left the residence, leaving out the west door.”
She called her father, asking if he hired anyone to do work around the home, according to the incident report and the Facebook post. He said no.
The girl followed Amaya-Guevara out, taking several pictures of him, authorities said.
@MartinFLSheriff says on the left is Antonio Amaya-Guevara, moments after he broke into a home today & assaulted a 17yo girl.
On the right is Amaya-Guevara a few minutes ago in custody.
Deputies say the bravery of the victim led to the quick arrest.
Story on @WPBF25News at 11 pic.twitter.com/1lpM263n7V
— Ari Hait (@wpbf_ari) January 27, 2024
“He then snatched her phone from her hands,” documents said. “When [the girl] tried to get the phone back from him, he punched her in the face several times.”
He allegedly threw the phone in nearby bushes before fleeing in a parked gray vehicle. A witness saw the attack and called 911. The girl was taken to a hospital, where she received treatment for injuries and was released. Documents said she described having a headache.
A responding deputy saw that the back door of the home had been kicked in.
As for Amaya-Guevara, authorities searched for him and arrested him in neighboring Palm Beach County. The defendant, who is from Honduras and arrived in the United States in 2023 without documentation, is going to be held on an immigration detainer, authorities said. A jail staffer told Law&Crime Monday that it had not come in yet.
