NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Police were called to a South Nashville shopping center Wednesday night after witnesses reportedly saw a man dragging a woman into a vehicle. According to an arrest affidavit, the woman escaped, but she was severely injured.
The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) said the incident was reported at approximately 7:20 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 5 from the shopping center by the intersection of Murfreesboro Pike and Bell Road.
When officers got to the scene, they didn’t initially see the woman. However, witnesses pointed law enforcement in the right direction, allowing them to find the victim stumbling over a hill with blood all over her chest and a deep cut to her throat.
Per the affidavit, the woman had a severe cut near her jugular vein. An ambulance quickly arrived and rushed the woman to a nearby hospital.
Police soon learned the identity of the alleged attacker: 58-year-old Nelson Alvarado of Antioch.
Based on the affidavit, a witness who knows the couple intervened and took a weapon similar to a box cutter away from the suspect. The witness told authorities he saw Alvarado assaulting the woman and reportedly saying, “If you don’t come with me, I will kill you.”
According to the witness, Alvarado proceeded to slash the left side of the woman’s neck with a razor blade-like tool. The MNPD is now holding the weapon as evidence.
Following the incident, officers went to a nearby home and found the 58-year-old suspect.
According to police, after he was arrested, Alvarado said he and the woman argued about going back to Venezuela, adding that he wanted to leave but she wanted to remain in the U.S. Alvarado told law enforcement the woman punched him in the mouth, so he hit her back.
Based on the arrest report, Alvarado did not provide any explanation as to how the victim’s throat was cut.
Officials said they followed up with the victim, who is currently home after being released from the hospital. She is reportedly planning to go to the Family Safety Center for further services, but she declined counseling services and shelter services, saying she felt safe at home.
According to the MNPD, the victim was told that the District Attorney’s Office would contact her about charges against Alvarado. She told law enforcement she was planning to attend court.
Authorities said Alvarado is being held in the Downtown Detention Center on a $200,000 bond for attempted criminal homicide and attempted kidnapping. However, he is not eligible for release because Immigration and Customs Enforcement has placed a hold on him.
