Defiant woman hit attacker with phone and blood led to his arrest, Florida cops say

A man who attempted to rape a woman on New Year’s Day has been arrested, and detectives in Florida say it was the woman’s counterattack that gave them needed evidence.

The victim clobbered the man with her cell phone, drawing enough blood for a DNA sample, the Vero Beach Police Department said in an April 17 news release.

It has been matched to a 30-year-old cook in Vero Beach — Robert Coleman Jr. — who was arrested April 13, jail records show.

“The female victim ... met a man at a bar while celebrating New Year’s Eve and spoke to him briefly. She explained that while walking back to her hotel, the man approached her and began to walk with her,” the police department reported.

“Once in the hotel parking lot, the female advised the man suddenly stated: ‘You need to face the fact that you are gonna get raped tonight.’ The man then shoved her against the wall and began attacking her.”

The woman began using “her cell phone as a weapon,” striking the man in the head. His shock at her defensive move “provided her the opportunity to run,” officials say.

Detectives found “two small dark stains” of suspected blood that were used to collect potential DNA samples, officials said.

Coleman, a registered sex offender, was an early suspect in the attack, officials said. He was also found to have “a small laceration” over his left eye during questioning, officials said.

“The suspect denied ever meeting the victim or being in the hotel parking lot,” police said.

“On April 4, 2023, the detective received the DNA results from the lab. The blood ... was a positive match to that of Coleman.”

He has been charged with sexual battery, with bond set at $150,000, records show.

Vero Beach is about 105 miles southeast of Orlando.

This story was originally published April 19, 2023 at 5:34 AM with the headline "Defiant woman hit attacker with phone and blood led to his arrest, Florida cops say."