A Willacy County man is in custody on assault charges after strangling his wife and hiding from authorities in a shed, according to the Willacy County Sheriff’s Office.

Juan Carlos Perez was arrested Monday after the sheriff’s office and Willacy County Precinct 4 Constable Albert Garza responded to a residence on Business 77 in Sebastian where a woman reported her common-law spouse assaulted her, according to a news release.

According to the victim, she and Perez were in a shed looking for a dog kennel when he began squeezing her throat before pushing her to the ground.

Perez then kicked his common-law spouse and pinned her to the ground until her mother arrived at the scene.

“The victim reported Juan Carlos Perez immediately left on foot and had a knife with him,” the release stated. “Deputies observed injuries on the female victim consistent with strangulation and her statement.”

Perez was found hiding in a shed at a residence located near the intersection of 6th Street and East Street and holding an “unknown object” behind his back, according to the release.

“Perez began making comments expressing that he wanted deputies to end his life,” the sheriff’s office stated. “Shortly after, Juan Carlos complied with verbal commands and turned himself in.”

Perez faces a charge of assault family violence and assault causes bodily injury.