Tulsa Man Arrested For Kidnapping And Strangulation

Tulsa Police say a 9-1-1 call might be the reason a domestic assault victim is alive and a convicted felon is back in jail.

Officers arrested Quinton Billy on several complaints including strangulation and kidnapping.  Officers say a group of strangers who heard the victim screaming and called for help might have saved her life.

Tulsa Police say they were watching Billy hold his passenger in a chokehold as they trailed behind him.

"I have absolutely no doubt that he was going to kill, at least the victim in this," said TPD Officer Erin Bitting.

The arrest report says witnesses heard the victim screaming for help as Billy punched her in the face several times. The report goes on to say the witnesses saw the victim try and escape from the car but say she couldn't get away.

It says the car eventually sped out of the parking lot with the victim still inside and hitting a car on the way out. 

According to the report, the witnesses followed the suspect and called the police.

"At one point there was actually four people total in the car, two of them were able to get out," said Officer Bitting.

With the help of witnesses, officers found Billy and pulled him over. The report says he was "combative and violent" when getting out of his car with bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, smelling like alcohol, with open containers in his car. Then police were able to get to the victim.

"Her face was absolutely just beat up and bloody and bruised," said Officer Bitting. "We later found out that she had tried to get out a couple of times and that he had prevented her from getting out of the car."

Officers arrested Billy on several complaints including domestic assault and battery by strangulation, kidnapping, hit and run and DUI.

"It feels really really good to take somebody like that and put them into jail," said Officer Bitting. "We have the chance to intervene before it ends up in homicide."

Police say the witnesses put themselves in harm’s way by following the suspect but say the information they were giving dispatch about the location of the driver helped to put a convicted felon back behind bars.