DETROIT, MI – The Detroit Police Department confirmed late Saturday night that a man is in custody in connection with a string of sexual assaults committed in the city.
According to a report from The Detroit News, a man was arrested Friday night for a separate offense. Sgt. Cassandra Lewis of the Detroit Police Department told the News that the man is a person of interest in relation to six sexual assaults that took place on the city’s west side since March 24.
The most recent sexual assault suspected to be connected to the others happened in Detroit’s Woodbridge neighborhood near Wayne State University on April 9. A Detroit police officer, who asked not to be named, confirmed then that the investigators were trying to determine if the suspect was connected to the serial rapist reportedly responsible for six other attacks.
The assault near Wayne State University involved two men in a white- or creme-colored, late-model minivan. It had a black tape or a black trash bag covering the rear, passenger-side sliding door window and had a loud exhaust.
“We’ve received a couple of tips on vans that looked similar to it, but none turned out to be the one we’re looking for,” the Detroit police officer said.
The Woodbridge attack was perpetrated by two men with dark complexions who wore masks. One had a red bandana over his face and “a really deep voice,” the Woodbridge neighborhood representatives said in a flyer shared online.
Police believe at least six attacks on women since March 24 may have been committed by the same person.
One victim said the suspect shot out a tire of the vehicle, abducted her in front of her children and sexually assaulted her before she was able to escape.