A Coralville man has been charged after allegedly taking a woman’s car without permission and attacking her.

Benjamin Gordon, 50, was charged on Wednesday with domestic-abuse assault impeding flow of air or blood, second-degree theft, second-degree robbery, and first-offense OWI.

According to an Iowa City police complaint, Gordon and the woman were arguing at her place of residence about him taking her car without her permission on Tuesday.

She then reportedly told him to leave or that she would call 911. When she attempted to make the 911 call, Gordon allegedly pushed her from her bed onto the floor, got on top of her, and straddled her.

He then placed his right hand over her mouth and nose for approximately 15 seconds, during which time the alleged victim said she could not breathe or call for help, and feared for her life.

The fall from her bed also caused injury requiring medical attention, the complaint said.

Gordon then got up and fled the residence in the woman’s car before police arrived at the scene.

He was later involved in a traffic stop while driving the woman’s black 1997 Pontiac Bonneville.

Upon contact, Gordon told officers he “had a little to drink” before refusing standardized field sobriety testing, preliminary breath testing, and DataMaster testing.

Gordon and the woman have been seeing each other exclusively for over a year and a half.

Second-degree robbery is a Class-C felony, while second-degree theft is a Class-D felony.

Domestic-abuse assault impeding air or blood flow is an aggravated misdemeanor.

First-offense OWI is a serious misdemeanor.

— by Cassidy Riley