Police: Man admits to kidnapping, sexually assaulting girl in Fort Lauderdale
MIAMI - The Fort Lauderdale Police Department in collaboration with the Broward Sheriff's Office announced the arrest of a man they said is accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl.
Rondel McDonald, faced a judge Wednesday after allegedly kidnapping a girl at gunpoint as she was walking to a friend's house early Tuesday morning. Investigators said he sexually assaulted her.
"When he produced a firearm, she mentioned she was so scared, didn't know what to do, she was scared for her life and she got in the vehicle," said Fort Lauderdale SVU Detective Sgt. Hector Martinez. "He drove her a short distance away where he proceeded to sexually assault her."
McDonald is also accused of trying to lure another girl into his car in Fort Lauderdale by Stranahan High School on Aug. 29.
"She was approached by a vehicle, who demanded that she enter the vehicle, she refused, the subject turned around, tried again, she refused again at that point he produced a firearm," said Martinez.
The girl got away.
There is also a third case. In that case, in Pompano Beach and on Aug. 29 near Ely High School, the modus operandi was the same: he tried to get a teenage girl into his car at gunpoint.
"She was extremely brave and was able to run away without being injured or entering that vehicle," said BSO SVU Sgt. Yanesa Arya.
The victim in the Pompano Beach case told CBS News Miami, "He pointed the gun at me, and then he pointed it at the car and he was like so get in the car, and I continued backing up. I was like please, you don't have to do this. I ended up tripping on a stump behind me and I used that as a distraction and I took off running towards my friend's house."
"She was panicking, and she was like 'Somebody is trying to take me! Somebody is trying to take me, somebody is trying to take me. Someone drew a gun on me.' And I'm just like so shook up because that's my best friend," said the victim's friend, Ky'Asjah Reynolds.
The first victim in Pompano Beach shuttered when CBS News Miami told her what happened to the third victim.
"That really hurts me because the whole reason I reported the whole situation was to prevent anybody else from going through that. Not every day you know you're walking to school and you expect a gun to get pulled out on you. Hmmm — should I run and expect him to shoot me? Or should I get in the car and take whatever is going to happen."
While the first victim said she's relieved he's behind bars, she has this message for him, "It's disgusting. We're children, and for you to go after children. It's just below — it's very low of you, it's disgusting."
The victims told police he was in a gray car and drawings of the suspect appeared similar. After collaborating, BSO and Fort Lauderdale Police realized they were looking for the same guy.
McDonald is being held with no bond at the Broward County Jail. Police say he confessed to all three cases.
He is facing several charges including two counts of sexual assault with a weapon, kidnapping and false imprisonment of a child.