Man arrested for following woman into Orange County apartment, trying to sexually attack her: deputies

Alleged attacker caught on doorbell video

A man who allegedly tried to sexually attack a woman inside her Orange County apartment was caught on doorbell video footage and later arrested.

ORLANDO, Fla. - A man has been arrested in connection to the Nov. 26 incident where he's accused of entering a woman's apartment and trying to sexually attack her, according to an update from the Orange County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday.

Xavier Mendez, 31, was arrested and charged with attempted sexual battery, kidnapping and burglary of a dwelling with assault or battery after the incident that unfolded at the Mercury 3100 Apartments in Orlando last week.

Xavier Mendez (Photo credit: Orange County Sheriff's Office)

Shortly after 10 p.m., Mendez allegedly entered a woman's apartment as she was getting home from grabbing a bite to eat, threw her on a chair, onto the floor and attempted to remove her shorts, according to deputies. The woman was able to fight back by kicking at him and screaming, getting the attention of her roommate, who exited a room with a pair of scissors.

OCSO: Suspect followed woman to her apartment

The Orange County Sheriff's Office said it is looking for a man who allegedly followed a woman to her apartment, pushed his way in, and tried to assault her late Sunday. The woman and her roommate were able to chase the man away, deputies said.

That's when Mendez, who is not a resident of the apartment complex, fled, according to deputies.

The car he was in helped lead deputies to his identity after it was connected to pawn shop transactions, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Office. That led to a phone number for Mendez, which allowed deputies to track his phone's GPS data, which put him at Mercury 3100 on the night of the alleged attack.

"We want to thank the survivor in this case," the Orange County Sheriff's Office said. "Her bravery, willingness to cooperate with the investigation and attention to detail helped detectives solve this case."