Miami Police said Tuesday they are searching for a suspect who beat and sexually assaulted a woman in a field underneath the Metrorail in Allapattah on the morning of Jan. 1.
The victim was walking to work in the area of Northwest 12th Avenue and 30th Street at about 6 a.m. that morning when she saw the man following her, police said in a news release. They described him as about 35 to 40 years old.
The 47-year-old woman told Telemundo 51 in Spanish that she heard the man creeping behind her as she walked underneath the train overpasses lining Northwest 12th Avenue. She recalled picking up her pace, but said the man did too.
When he grabbed her, she said, he punched her in the face, and demanded she touch his private parts and hug and kiss him.
As she tried to scream for help, he held her down, and punched her in the face several times, police said. The woman said the suspect also grabbed her purse before he ripped her clothes off and began to sexually assault her.
The assault took place in an open field beneath the Metrorail in the area, according to police.
She managed to fight him off and call for help. The suspect fled the scene, police said.
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"Let's put this guy behind bars before he strikes again," said Miami Police spokesman Sgt. Freddie Cruz.
Detectives will be distributing flyers on Wednesday at 7 a.m. at Northwest 12th Avenue and 30th Street, police said.
Authorities ask anyone with information on the incident to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS or Miami Police's Special Victims Unit at 305-603-6300.
