Search Continues For Tattooed South Ozone Park Rape Suspect
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Police are searching for a suspected rapist in Queens.
Investigators say he threatened a woman with a fake gun before attacking her in South Ozone Park, CBS2's Natalie Duddridge reported Thursday.
The NYPD is looking for 24-year-old George Persaud and hopes someone helps track him down. Authorities believe he raped a 40-year-old woman near Atlantic Avenue and 93rd Street sometime between midnight and 6 a.m. on Sunday.
Police said Persaud approached the woman, flashed a fake gun and then forced her into a secluded area.
Police told CBS2 the suspect and victim didn't know each other, but Persaud saw the victim at an event that night and that's how they came in contact.
"Scary. I don't go out in the dark. I stay home," South Ozone Park resident Maria Suarez said.
"It's a heinous crime. It should be persecuted with extreme prejudice," a man added.
The woman was checked out at a local hospital. Police want the public to be vigilant and keep an eye out for Persaud. He has distinctive tattoos on his knuckles and also has the words "Only The Strong Survive" tattooed across his chest.
Police describe Persaud as roughly 5-foot-4 and 150 pounds with brown eyes, dark hair with a fade on the side, and facial hair on his face and chin.
Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM, on Twitter @NYPDTips or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.
All calls are strictly confidential.