BOZEMAN — A Bozeman man is facing multiple charges after allegedly threatening a woman with a knife and attempting to throw her out of a car on the interstate between Billings and Bozeman.
Luis Palomares-Ramirez appeared in Gallatin County Justice Court on Friday where he was charged with attempted deliberate homicide, assault with a weapon, strangulation, and tampering with evidence.
Court documents say Palomares-Ramirez was traveling with a woman and two other people to a party in Billings on Saturday, Sep. 2, 2023. He and the woman were in the backseat of his vehicle, and he allegedly began to point a knife at her in a threatening manner on the drive.
The victim reported to law enforcement that once they arrived at the party, Palomares-Ramirez told her, “If you dance with anyone else, I will kill them.” The victim said Palomares-Ramirez’s statement confused her since they were not dating.
According to court documents, Palomares-Ramirez became involved in an argument with several other men and pointed a gun at one of them. As Palomares-Ramirez and the people he was with attempted to drive away from the party, one of the men from the argument stood in front of their car, prompting Palomares-Ramirez to get out and point the gun at him. The man moved and the group of four drove away.
The victim said on the way back to Bozeman, she confronted Palomares-Ramirez about his behavior, which made him angry. He allegedly threw her jacket out the car window, and she retaliated, throwing his hat out the window.
The victim said Palomares-Ramirez then pointed his gun at her stomach. Court documents say after initially attempting to “play it tough,” the victim offered Palomares-Ramirez cash for his hat and begged him not to kill her.
After briefly calming down, Palomares-Ramirez reportedly became angry again, at which point the victim said he opened the car door and attempted to push her out. As she held onto him to keep from falling out of the car, Palomares-Ramirez was also allegedly squeezing the victim’s neck, making it difficult for her to breathe.
The passenger in the front of the car later corroborated the victim’s account of events and told police she also grabbed the victim to prevent her from falling out and began hitting Palomares-Ramirez, telling him to leave the victim alone.
According to court documents, after the group arrived back in Bozeman, Palomares-Ramirez texted her to apologize for his behavior. The following Monday, Sep. 4, the victim was contacted by Palomares-Ramirez’s father, Eloy Palomares Medrano. He allegedly offered her money not to report the incident to the police.
The victim reported the alleged incident to a Bozeman Police officer on Wednesday, Sep. 6. Officers located and detained Palomares-Ramirez and his father and transported them to the Bozeman Public Safety Center.
After Palomares-Ramirez was read his rights, he allegedly waived them and told officers that he did have a knife but the victim took it from him at the party in Billings. According to court documents, he told police he opened the victim’s door while “hugging” her in an attempt to scare her and keep her quiet.
Court document say Palomares-Ramirez initially denied having a handgun but later admitted having a gun which he said was not real. He allegedly said he asked his father to contact the victim and prevent her from going to the police.
Palomares-Ramirez is facing up to 20 years in prison. His father was charged with Tampering with a Witness and faces up to ten years in prison.
In court on Friday, Palomares-Ramirez had his bail set at $150,000. Eloy Palomares Medrano’s bail was set at $5,000. They each also face a fine of $50,000 in addition to prison time.
