Saratoga Springs PD: Coworker asked for ride, then attacked driver

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (WNYT) – A Saratoga Springs woman suffered life-threatening injuries after police said a passenger attacked her inside her car before it hit a restaurant.

Dispatchers alerted police and firefighters at 8:13 p.m. Oct. 9 to a report that a vehicle had struck Augie’s To-Go at Lake Avenue and Forest Avenue. Saratoga Springs Fire Department crews arrived and found the driver with a serious cut to her neck that did not appear to be related to the crash.

The driver was taken by ambulance to Saratoga Hospital and later airlifted to Albany Medical Center. Police said a passenger tried to run from the scene but officers detained him and identified him as David Cruz Torres, 36, of Michoacán, Mexico.

Police said officers and investigators interviewed witnesses and medical staff, collected evidence, spoke with the victim’s family, carried out search warrants and interviewed Cruz Torres to determine what happened inside the vehicle.

Police said Cruz Torres and the victim worked together in Saratoga Springs and that he asked her for a ride home after their shift. While she was driving him home, police said he began attacking her, then pulled out a knife and cut her throat.

Police said the motive remains unclear. They said the woman jumped from the moving vehicle and called for help, and nearby community members came to her aid and gave officers key information.

Cruz Torres was charged with attempted murder in the second degree and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Police said he was being held pending arraignment Oct. 10 in Saratoga Springs City Court.

Police thanked community members who helped the victim and the Saratoga Springs Fire Department for its quick response. They also thanked medical workers at Saratoga Hospital and Albany Medical Center, and said Cohoes Police Department provided additional help.

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