Woman Attacked In Forest Park Speaks Out - by Mathewt Hampton Forest Hills, NY Patch

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On Friday, March 25, a Forest Hills woman was savagely attacked in Forest Park, by a man in a black mask. Now the victim is speaking out, in the hope that her attacker can be brought to justice, and other women won’t have to suffer the same fate.

The victim, Patricia, was jogging early in the morning when a man wearing a black ski mask grabbed her from behind and attempted to pull off her running tights.

The victim described her attacker as between five-foot-six and five-foot-ten, wearing a black mask, black jacket, dark shoes and dark pants.

“I was shocked and horrified, I couldn't believe it was happening,” the victim said. “I screamed, but he kept trying to cover my mouth.”

Patricia added that the only reason she was able to escape from her attacker is through a series of strong kicks to the groin she delivered while he wrestled with her on the ground.

Once she fought back, she said, the man backed off and disappeared into the large wooded area from which he had emerged.

The park, which is located almost entirely in the 102 Precinct, is a largely wooded area with plenty of places for would-be attackers to hide. Police said that since the attack, NYPD officers have worked with Parks department patrols to step up the presence in the area.

“I never thought I was an easy target,” Patricia said. “I’ve always felt pretty safe on my own, but not anymore.”

No arrest has been made in the incident.

If anyone has any information contact Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS (8477). The public can also submit tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577.

Alleged Rapist Trapped by Cops After Texting Victim to Ask Her for a Date by Thomas Zambito AND Corky Siemaszko - NY Daily News

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Mug shot of accused rapist Timothy West, who was arrested after texting the woman he allegedly atacked.

A nervy Queens woman Wednesday described how she hatched a plan to capture the man who raped her twice after he asked for her number.

"I was hoping that he would call," the 21-year-old victim testified as her alleged attacker sat 15 feet away from her in Queens Supreme Court. "If he would call, I could set him up with the police."

Timothy West texted her instead and by nightfall he was in police custody.

The 21-year-old Applebee's waitress looked at West only once to identify him.

Then, in a calm voice, she recounted a three hour ordeal that began when West broke into her Ozone Park home through a kitchen window at 1:30 a.m. on March 20, 2009.

While West watched intently, the woman testified she was sleeping when he invaded her bed armed with a butcher knife he swiped from her kitchen and told her to be quiet. She said he wore a condom when he raped her the first time.

Afterward, she said, "He felt comfortable enough to tell me a little bit about himself."

While West rambled, the woman said she was thinking about how to escape without endangering her mother and brother, who were upstairs asleep in their bedrooms.

"As we're talking I was still planning on what to do next, to get him out of my house," she testified.

"I tried to keep it calm. I didn't want to show him I was in fear. I didn't know what he was capable of."

When West demanded more sex, the woman said she pleaded with him not to rape her again. She said he brandished a folding knife and attacked her again. This time he did not wear a condom, she said.

"I was wondering what was going to happen next," she said.

When West finished, the woman said he demanded food and she led him to the kitchen, where he went straight for the liquor.

It was then, she said, that West asked for her number.

"Maybe we can be friends or something?" West said, according to the woman.

Later, when detectives were questioning her, the woman said West texted her a two word message, "Call me."

The woman said she called West and left a message. He called her back from his sister's home in Corona and cops recorded their conversation.

West apologized for raping the woman and arranged to meet her at a Dunkin Donuts in Corona at 10 p.m. that night - and walked right into a trap, police say.

West, whose rap sheet includes arrests for robbery and burglary, insists the sex was consensual. He faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted.

Video Shows Queens Rape Suspect Reported by Ti-Hua Chang - My Fox New York

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Fox 5 News has exclusively obtained security camera footage of a man suspected of beating and raping a 23-year-old woman in an alley off Main Street in Flushing, Queens, on Sunday.

The victim came from China two months ago to work at a nail salon in New York. She wanted to save up money and study law, according to a report.

Her attacker apparently picked her at random.

Sources said the attacker dropped his weapon, a pipe, in some bushes after the assault.

A local lawmaker said that other security camera video shows that several people ignored the woman's cries for help and didn't help her.

Police have arrested a suspect, Carlos Salazar Cruz, and have charged him with attempted murder.

Thug Bashes Chinese Woman with Pipe, Assaults Her in Queens: Cops by John Lauinger - NY Daily News

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A 23-year-old woman is on life-support in a Queens hospital after a weekend attack by a pipe-wielding rapist two months after she arrived in New York from China, cops said.

Officials are working desperately to get a visa for the woman's mother, who lives outside Beijing, so she can come to Queens to face the awful task of deciding her daughter's fate.

The young woman was returning from grocery shopping in downtown Flushing around 9:30 p.m. Saturday when a drunken Queens man smashed her in the head with a pipe and dragged her into an alley, authorities said.

Once inside the alley along 41st Road, Carlos Salazar Cruz, 28, removed the woman's clothing from the waist down and raped her with the pipe, according to court papers.

Two months ago, the young woman, who dreamed of becoming a lawyer, traveled from her native China on a student visa. She moved in with a distant uncle in Flushing.

"She was working in a nail salon, saving up money. She was going to start attending school," said Assemblywoman Grace Meng (D-Flushing). "She had good grades in China. That's why her parents wanted her to come and expand her horizons."

Now, the woman who once dreamed of a better future is in the intensive care unit at New York Hospital Queens. She suffered a fractured skull, bleeding on the brain and trauma to her vaginal area.

Meng said she and Rep. Gary Ackerman (R-Bayside) are working to expedite a visa for the woman's mother. Cops collared Cruz a few blocks from the crime scene after a witness, who saw him drag the woman into the alley and then emerge alone - called 911. Police later recovered the pipe about a block from the alley.

Cruz, who did not have a criminal record, emigrated from Mexico two years ago and found work at a Manhattan fish market.

He was arraigned late Tuesday on a slew of charges, including a top count of attempted murder. Prosecutors vowed to upgrade charges if the woman is removed from life-support.

Cruz's family said he claims he blacked out drunk and doesn't remember the incident.

"He woke up and found himself cuffed to the hospital bed," said his stunned sister, Patricia Salazar, 26. "He never acted violently....We just don't know why he would do this. We can't explain it."

Federal Bureau of Investigation - New York City Police Department Detective Arrested on Federal Civil Rights Charges for Sexual Misconduct...

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Victims Were Female Arrestees and the Relative of an Arrestee

A criminal information was unsealed this morning in Brooklyn federal court charging New York City Police Department Detective Oscar Sandino, a 13-year veteran of the NYPD who was assigned to the Queens North Narcotics Bureau from June 2006 until March 2008, with violating the civil rights of three women through sexual misconduct. Sandino was arrested earlier today and will make his initial appearance this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Viktor V. Pohorelsky at the U.S. Courthouse, 225 Cadman Plaza East, Brooklyn, New York.

The case was announced by Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New, George Venizelos, Acting Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office, and Raymond W. Kelly, Commissioner, New York City Police Department.

As alleged in court filings by the government, in February 2008, Sandino arrested a woman identified in the Information as Jane Doe 1 (“the victim”) and her boyfriend on drug distribution charges following the execution of a search warrant at their apartment. During the arrest, Sandino forced the victim to undress in front of him in the bedroom of the apartment. Later, at the precinct, Sandino told the victim that she was going to jail and would lose her children unless she had sex with him. When the victim went to the restroom at the precinct, Sandino followed her inside and made her perform oral sex. Upon the victim’s release from custody, Sandino told her that he expected her to have sex with him at a later time. Thereafter, Sandino called the victim on numerous occasions. The victim subsequently reported Sandino’s misconduct to NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau, which began an investigation. In March 2008, Sandino was removed from active duty.

As further alleged in the government’s court filings, Sandino engaged in similar misconduct in the summer of 2006 in connection with the arrest of another drug dealer. On that occasion, Sandino coerced a female cousin of the drug dealer, identified in the Information as Jane Doe 2, to engage in sex acts with him based on threats he made concerning the lengthy prison sentence faced by the drug dealer.

More recently, in September 2009, Sandino allegedly engaged in lewd sexual behavior in front of a female arrestee and then forced her to raise her shirt to expose her upper body.

“This prosecution affirms our commitment to vigorously protect the constitutional right of individuals to be free from sexual misconduct by officers whose duty it is to uphold the law,” stated United States Attorney Lynch.

FBI Acting Assistant Director-in-Charge Venizelos stated, “The citizens of New York expect and deserve honest police officers. There is a trust that must exist between law enforcement and the citizens, and Detective Sandino allegedly broke that trust. Threats and coercion against anyone, whether a criminal subject or not, cannot and should not be tolerated.”

NYPD Commissioner Kelly stated, “I want to commend the NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau for its important work in uncovering police misconduct and in bringing to justice those who dishonor themselves and the department.”

Sandino has been charged with three misdemeanor counts. If convicted of all counts, he faces a maximum sentence of three years’ imprisonment.

The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Pamela Chen and Licha Nyiendo.

The Defendant:

OSCAR SANDINO
Age: 37

Reports: Lawrence Taylor Arrested In Rape Case - 1010WINS.com

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Ramapo Police Department Press Release

Former New York Giants great Lawrence Taylor has been arrested for rape in Rockland County, according to reports.

Taylor, 51, was taken into custody by Ramapo police after being accused of raping someone in the Holidome Hotel in Montebello early Thursday.

The Journal News reports the alleged victim was a 15-year-old girl and that she was reportedly beaten during the attack.

Ramapo Detective Lt. Brad Weidel said Taylor has not been formally charged. He said formal charges will be filed when the police investigation is completed.

A news conference is expected later Thursday afternoon where police will reveal more details.

This is not Taylor's first run-in with the law. In the 1990s he was arrested twice on drug charges and in Nov. 2009 he was arrested in Florida for allegedly leaving the scene of an accident.