Police say man attacked girlfriend, then turned on good Samaritan who intervened

Old Lyme — A Hartford man was ordered held in lieu of $50,000 on assault and strangulation charges after police said he attacked his girlfriend at a Shore Road residence Thursday and then turned on a good Samaritan who tried to stop the assault.

Ramon Mercado, 25, was arraigned in New London Superior Court Friday on two counts of third-degree assault, third-degree strangulation and two counts of disorderly conduct. His case was continued to Aug. 12.

According to an arrest report, town and state police went to 246 Shore Road at 9:30 p.m. after receiving multiple reports of a disturbance. A woman who was standing in the driveway upon their arrival said she and a female friend were driving by when they heard a female screaming for help. The woman said she turned the car around and came upon a man, later identified by police as Mercado, who was punching and kicking his girlfriend who was on the ground.

The woman told police she yelled at Mercado to stop and he told her to mind her own business, then began punching and trying to choke her.

The girlfriend told police that Mercado had been drinking, and when she attempted to leave, he grabbed her arm, dragged her behind the house and began punching and kicking her. He ran off after yelling that he had a gun and would kill them, the good Samaritan said.

Ninety minutes after the incident, as police were searching for Mercado, he called from a nearby location and turned himself in, according to the report. As he was being driven to Troop F for processing, Mercado asked whether he was being charged with attempted murder, according to police. He told police he had been dating the girl for about a year and has nowhere to live.

One of the victims was treated for facial injuries at the Shoreline Medical Center in Essex, according to police. The other women refused treatment.

k.florin@theday.com