A Miami police officer was arrested Sunday, accused of beating his wife and robbing a witness of her cellphone following a drunken altercation after an Easter event, according to Sunrise police.
Christian Vladimir Sanchez, 29, faces charges of domestic battery and robbery after the incident at his Sunrise residence, where he allegedly struck his wife approximately 30 times and forcibly took a cellphone from a witness who recorded part of the assault.
The Miami Police Department said Sanchez, a 9-year veteran of the force, is currently relieved of duty pending the outcome of an Internal Affairs Division investigation.
Incident unfolds
Police responded to a domestic disturbance call at Sanchez’s Sunrise home, where officers found the victim, identified as Sanchez’s wife, outside with a bloody lip and blood-smeared teeth. She refused medical attention, according to the arrest report.
The victim told officers that she, Sanchez and their daughter had attended an Easter event earlier that day, where Sanchez consumed a bottle of rum, becoming heavily intoxicated. Upon returning home, Sanchez took an extended shower, during which he repeatedly lost his balance, causing the shower rod to fall. When the victim asked him to exit so she could bathe their daughter, Sanchez grew agitated.
The situation escalated when Sanchez made unwanted sexual advances, which the victim rejected. He then demanded she leave the residence and when she agreed to depart in the morning due to his intoxication,
The arrest report says Sanchez grabbed her ponytail, pulling her backward. This caused her to accidentally strike their daughter, who began to cry. Sanchez then reportedly insulted his wife in front of their child.
Assault and robbery
In the master bedroom, as the victim dressed their daughter, Sanchez continued demanding she leave and attempted to take her cellphone. When she refused, clutching the device to her chest, Sanchez allegedly straddled her on the bed, striking her approximately 30 times with a closed fist while demanding the phone. A second witness, identified as V2 in the report, entered the room and saw the assault, recording part of it on her cellphone.
Sanchez then pulled the victim by her hair to the living room, striking her an additional 10 times. In self-defense, the victim threw the shower rod at Sanchez, possibly hitting his shoulder or chest, though her vision was blurry. She fled outside to seek help from neighbors.
The witness, V2, told police she heard the argument and the victim’s cries for her to call 911. She recorded a 10-second video showing Sanchez striking the victim while straddling her. As V2 spoke with 911, Sanchez approached, repeatedly demanding she “hang it up” while pointing at her, causing her to fear for her safety. Overwhelmed, V2 dropped her phone and Sanchez grabbed it before fleeing in a green Jeep, according to the police report.
Arrest and charges
Police reviewed V2’s video and photos, which corroborated the victim’s account, showing Sanchez striking her while pulling her hair. Sanchez was arrested and charged with domestic battery, as he and the victim are legally married and share a child and robbery, for forcibly taking V2’s cellphone, valued under $750, with intent to deprive her of its use.
Sanchez invoked his Miranda rights and was transported to the Broward Sheriff’s Office main jail without incident.
