A third suspect has been arrested in the armed kidnapping and sexual battery of a woman in North Miami Beach, police said Friday.
Police identified the suspect as Dwayne Steve Price, 18. It was not known whether he has an attorney.
“Today is an important day for this community as we announce the arrest of the third suspect in this horrific crime,” North Miami Beach Mayor George Vallejo said at a news conference.
Price and the two other suspects – Terry Petit-Frere, 17, and Antonio Hodgson, 16 – face charges of armed sexual battery, armed carjacking and armed kidnapping, according to police. The teens are being charged as adults.
The incident happened the night of Jan. 16, as the victim was picking up food and heading back to her car in the 1000 block of North Miami Beach Boulevard, police said.
The woman was approached by at least two suspects who forced her into the back seat of the car and sped away. The men drove to the Oak Grove Area in North Miami-Dade where she was sexually assaulted by multiple people, officials said.
They then drove her around various locations in North Miami-Dade and North Miami Beach including fast food restaurants and gas stations before dropping the victim off by her home, according to police.
Police Chief J. Scott Dennis said he met with the victim on the evening following the attack and promised her that the North Miami Beach Police Department would not rest until the suspects were brought to justice.
“This is by far the toughest most egregious situation I have ever had to face,” the victim said in a letter she wrote. “Although, the recovery process has yet to be completed, it does give my mind a bit more peace that the suspects have been captured and justice will be served.”
Police previously arrested Hodgson – whom they identified on Friday – and Petit-Frere.
Petit-Frere is charged with armed robbery, armed kidnapping and false imprisonment over a separate November incident that happened at the Oak Grove apartment complex at 15455 Northeast 6th Ave. in Miami-Dade.
According to an arrest affidavit, Petit-Frere and an accomplice confronted a woman as she walked to her apartment. The 17-year-old allegedly pointed a firearm at the victim, demanding property and her keys, and later forced her into the trunk of her own vehicle.
After driving to a bank, where they withdrew money from her account, police said, the teen ordered the woman to pull down her pants and underwear. She complied out of fear, and he demanded that she use her fingers to masturbate as he touched her leg, according to police.
Petit-Frere is being charged as an adult in both cases.
