911 call disguised as pizza order by woman worried she might be attacked by man, deputies say

Woman calls 911, orders pizza to signal distress

A man was arrested after a woman used a 911 call disguised as a pizza order to report that she feared for her safety, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.

PIERSON, Fla. - A man was arrested after a woman used a 911 call disguised as a pizza order to report that she feared for her safety, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies responded to the call around 3:43 a.m. on Oct. 19, after the sheriff’s office communications center received a 911 call from a woman attempting to "order a pizza" — a known signal for distress. Upon arrival at a residence in Pierson, deputies said they searched the area and found a man, later identified as Luis Hernandez-Moncayo, on top of a woman.

911 call by woman disguised as a pizza order

A man was arrested after a woman used a 911 call disguised as a pizza order to report an alleged sexual assault in progress, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.

The deputies separated him from the woman, who appeared "extremely distraught," they said. She told deputies that Hernandez-Moncayo attempted to sexually assault her, according to an arrest report.

The victim, whose name is withheld under Marsy's Law, later calmed down and told deputies that she and Hernandez-Moncayo were friends and had agreed to hang out together. She said his behavior changed after he consumed alcohol and, feeling unsafe, she made the 911 call under the guise of ordering a pizza to avoid raising suspicion.

Luis Hernandez-Moncayo is charged with felony battery by strangulation, false imprisonment, and attempted sexual battery.

She told deputies that Hernandez-Moncayo grabbed her, threw her to the ground, and attempted to sexually assault her three times, even choking her twice during the attack. She managed to defend herself briefly, but she told deputies that he overpowered her again, exposed himself, and tried to assault her.

"It was not only frightening but for the deputies to walk in on that and this woman was absolutely hysterical," said Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood. "You just think as a father, 'What if that had been my daughter?'"

The woman declined transportation to a hospital and deputies said she showed no visible signs of injury.

While being questioned by deputies, Hernandez-Moncayo claimed the encounter was consensual.

He was arrested and charged with felony battery by strangulation, false imprisonment, and attempted sexual battery. He was transported to the Volusia County Branch Jail.

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