Man charged with punching girlfriend

A local man is facing domestic violence charges after his arrest Friday.

Alante Smith, 23, is charged with two counts of assault, preventing use of a phone and failure to pay fines after allegedly punching his girlfriend repeatedly at their home on West Lago Street in Santa Rosa Springs, police said.

Police arrived at a home after receiving a call about domestic violence and met with a woman at her neighbor’s house where she had called 911. The woman told officers her boyfriend, identified as Alante Smith, assaulted her in their home across the street.

The woman stated she and Smith had been living together for about a year, and a physical altercation began after an argument that day. She said Smith briefly grabbed her by the throat with one hand while taking her purse, which contained her cell phone. Smith allegedly punched the woman in the stomach, causing her to bend over in pain and have trouble breathing. Smith proceeded to punch her in the back multiple times, police said.

The woman made her way out of the house and into the backyard. Smith allegedly locked her out. She told officers she had to climb the back fence and make her way to the neighbor’s house. The woman was transported to Chandler Regional Medical Center for her injuries.

Officers contacted Smith in his home and interviewed him about the altercation. Smith admitted to only pushing his girlfriend against the wall. While being placed under arrest, Smith was also found to have an active warrant out of Maricopa Municipal Court for unpaid fines in a reckless driving case in 2018.

Smith was transported and booked into Pinal County Jail.