Philadelphia Police: Suspect Wanted For Sexually Assaulting 55-Year-Old Woman Inside Center City Macy's
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Philadelphia Police need help finding a suspect who sexually assaulted a 55-year-old woman inside of the Macy's on the 1300 block of Market Street on Sunday. Police have just released surveillance video.
A moment of normalcy in a year anything but turned into horror for one shopper here at Macy's in Center City.
"A 55-year-old female who was shopping at the store with her husband, she decided to use the bathroom on the third floor. She went inside the bathroom and went into the stall, the offender jumped over the stall. He dragged her out of one stall into another stall where he then raped her," Philadelphia Police Capt. Mark Burgmann said.
The rape happened between 11:30 a.m. and 11:40 a.m. Sunday and police say this man is responsible.
Capt. Burgmann says the suspect hid in the third-floor woman's restroom possibly for up to 20 minutes waiting for his victim, armed with a makeshift weapon.
"About 12 inches long, sharp sticks being used for cooking, for shish kabobs. He had several of them in his hand and he threatened her with those," he said.
And after this vicious attack, the suspect jets out of the store, crosses over Market Street, enters the train station, and then makes his escape.
"He got off at 52nd and Market Street," Capt. Burgmann said.
Police are now trying to trace his steps there while also trying to find witnesses who may have been near the restroom.
Burgmann says that's proven difficult.
"Nobody heard anything, no. Some of the video showed shoppers standing outside. They had no idea what was going on," he said.
So now police need your help finding a suspect described as a Black male in his 20s with a thin build and a unique walk. Video shows him wearing a dark-colored coat with a hood and white writing on both upper shoulders.
"It's pretty brazen to go inside of the bathroom for 20 minutes and wait there, thinking someone else is going to come in," Burgmann said.
If you recognize the suspect, you are asked to contact the police.
