New York police have arrested a “person of interest” in the manhunt for a Bronx rape suspect who was filmed on video assaulting a woman. Kashaan Parks was arrested Saturday and charged with attacking the 45-year-old victim in The Bronx at around 5 a.m. on May 1. The NYPD released photos of the suspect on Friday and asked the public for assistance in finding him. Surveillance video recorded the assault, showing a man throwing a looped belt around the woman’s neck before choking her unconscious and dragging her away on a dark city street.
In the video, the man is seen looking up and down the block before it cuts out. “The male then dragged the victim between two cars and sexually assaulted her,” the NYPD said in a statement. The video, which circulated widely online, shows the masked man sneak up behind his victim, snag her around the throat with a looped belt, and drag her to the ground. She appears to lose consciousness within seconds as he drags her between two parked cars, where the alleged attack took place. The suspect then fled on foot towards Melrose Avenue, while the victim was transported to NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln and remains in stable condition.
Police identified Parks, 39, as the suspect wanted in connection to the assault. An NYPD spokesperson said Parks has not yet been arraigned, and police are waiting for him to be charged. As of May 5, there have been 511 reported rapes in New York City, the same total as last year over the same period, according to NYPD data. This incident is part of a developing story that will be updated as more details emerge. Fox News Digital’s Michael Ruiz contributed to this report, providing additional information on the arrest of the suspect in the Bronx rape case.
