Warrant issued for man accused of assaulting woman while driving

LEHI — Investigators are looking for a Midvale man who allegedly beat a woman while driving and then pulled to the side of the freeway to continue the assault.

Osvaldo Vargas Zarate, 25, was charged Tuesday in 4th District Court with attempted murder, a first-degree felony; and domestic violence in the presence of a child, a third-degree felony.

On July 5, motorists reported seeing two people in a car on I-15 near Lehi who were hitting each other "as the car swerved in and out of traffic," according to charging documents.

Zarate eventually pulled to the side of the freeway and pushed the woman he was allegedly hitting out of the car, the charges state. He then held her against the freeway barrier "while hitting her, punching her in the face repeatedly until witnesses physically stopped him," the charges state. Zarate told the woman "at least three times that he was going to kill her."

Zarate then got back into the car and drove off with the couple's 2-year-old daughter still in the vehicle, according to the charges.

The woman suffered a concussion and received stitches for open wounds on her face and treatment for a broken arm, the charges state.

"This was not the first violent incident with the victim," prosecutors wrote in their charges. "The victim is afraid of the defendant who continues to call from blocked numbers (and) harassing the victim."

The girl was eventually dropped off with relatives by a third party, the charges state. However, Zarate's whereabouts remained unknown as of Tuesday.

Prosecutors have requested a no-bail arrest warrant to take Zarate into custody.

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