DETROIT – Police arrested a man who they believe raped a woman as she was riding her bicycle, and now the victim is opening up about the ordeal she says she was forced to go through.
The alleged sex assault happened Sept. 30. A young woman was riding her bicycle in the area of East Milwaukee Avenue and Russell Street when she said a white van pinned her against the curb.
She said two men jumped out of the van.
"I immediately started yelling and running, hoping someone would hear," she said. "I didn't make it far."
She said the men grabbed her and dragged her into the van. As she described it, the men held her down on a mattress as they drove her to an ATM to empty her bank account.
"I fought," she said. "I grabbed my keys and tried stabbing them. Nothing was working, and the arm around my neck was getting tighter, to the point I couldn't breathe. It then occurred to me that they could easily kill me."
Knowing she had no options, she said she gave up the fight.
"I pretended we could be friends, convincing them to give me back my belongings, including my grandmother's rings," she said.
She went on to say they eventually drove her back to the area of the attack and pushed her out of the van.
"It's not enough to be with someone at all times," she said. "It's not enough to always tell people where you are going. I could say more, but it already took me days to get up the nerve to post this. I am alive."
Detroit Police Chief James Craig announced Wednesday that two men were arrested in connection with multiple rapes.