'You need to die': Male strangles mom with American flag, beats up her boyfriend, leads police on drunken car chase, cops say

An Iowa man used an American flag to strangle his own mother, then beat up her boyfriend, fled the scene, and led police on a car chase, according to a criminal complaint.

According to Johnson County Jail records, Adam Sotzen of Cedar Rapids was booked at 3:35 a.m. Monday and charged with assault with intent to cause pain or injury, first-degree harassment, operating while intoxicated, and eluding while exceeding the speed limit by 25 mph or more. Sotzen is being held on a $30,000 bond.

'You need to die.'

According to the criminal complaint, Sotzen went to his victim’s home in North Liberty early Monday morning upset over a prior dispute. The 39-year-old allegedly got into a verbal altercation and then began destroying property.

The Daily Iowan reported that Sotzen shoved his mother to the ground. He allegedly stole an American flag from a nearby home, twisted it into a rope, and then strangled her.

According to KCRG-TV, Sotzen told her multiple times, “You need to die.”

The criminal complaint said his mother fell from her chair, but Sotzen continued to choke her as she lay face down. His mother allegedly told police she feared for her life because she believed Sotzen was capable of killing her.

The mother’s boyfriend reportedly intervened and pulled Sotzen off the woman. Sotzen then allegedly attacked his mother's boyfriend, punching him in the face and the ribcage.

Following the reported strangulation and assault, Sotzen fled the scene in his vehicle before police could respond.

A police officer identified Sotzen's vehicle by the license plate after reports of the assault circulated. The officer turned on the cruiser's emergency lights and attempted to pull over the suspect, but Sotzen allegedly ignored the cop and led police on a drunken police car chase.

Cops said Sotzen sped 55 mph in a 30 mph zone during the chase.

Sotzen finally pulled over, exited his vehicle, and dropped to his knees in the middle of the road, according to the complaint.

Police described Sotzen as being uncooperative and combative with law enforcement. Authorities also noted that Sotzen appeared unbalanced and smelled strongly of alcohol. The complaint said Sotzen continued to be physically aggressive while being transported to jail and reportedly struck the partition inside the police cruiser.

According to state prison records, Sotzen was incarcerated in 2013 for committing a “serious misdemeanor.”

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