The National Civil Police (PNC) reported this Monday, September 16 at noon the capture of a subject who was captured by a security camera at the moment in which he approached a woman and tried to kill her with a machete outside the Aguilares market, in the department of San Salvador.

The detainee was identified by authorities as José Germán Portillo Martínez, 53 years old, who according to the video images looked for the victim and attacked her with a machete in front of several people who were present.

The incident occurred on Friday, September 13, at around 6:30 in the morning. In the video, Portillo Martínez can be seen approaching the victim, who was at her sales stand outside the market. The man, limping on his left leg, reached the woman and approached her.

After an exchange of words, the man unsheathed a machete that he was carrying in his hands. The woman did not notice Portillo Martínez's action as she was talking to another saleswoman and had her eyes elsewhere. Portillo Martínez raised his arm with the machete in his hand and attacked the saleswoman, who managed to react in time and put her arm up as a shield.

At that moment, a commotion began among the saleswomen and customers who were near the scene. The saleswoman with whom the victim was talking seconds before the attack ran away screaming. Portillo Martínez then prepared a second attack and raised the machete again to direct it towards the victim, who again used her arm as a shield to prevent the blade from falling on her face.

After the second attack by the subject, the woman managed to run away from the attacker. The man, limping, tried to catch up with her to continue the attack. The victim managed to survive and reported the incident to the authorities. Thanks to the surveillance video and the judicial records of Portillo Martínez, they managed to find his whereabouts and he was captured this Monday on 2nd Avenue North of the El Centro neighborhood, in Aguilares, department of San Salvador.

The man has a history of violence against women, as the PNC revealed that Portillo Martínez already had a court order of distancing from the victim. The PNC assured that the subject will be referred back to the fiscal authority to be presented in court for the crimes of threats, injuries and disobedience of precautionary measures. The authorities have not yet determined whether they will also charge him with attempted femicide.