MIAMI – City of Miami police passed out dozens of fliers Wednesday morning in the Allapattah neighborhood in hopes of finding a suspect who sexually assaulted a woman.
"I need the community to help us out so we can put this guy behind bars where he belongs," said Freddy Cruz, City of Miami police.
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The incident happened Jan. 1 around 6 a.m. Police said the woman was walking to work along Northwest 12th Avenue and 30th Street when she saw a man following her.
As the woman began to walk faster, the man confronted her, grabbed her purse and threw her to the ground in the open field underneath the Metrorail, police said.
"She was yelling for help, but he covered her mouth and continued to beat her," said Cruz.
Miami police described the alleged rapist as a white Hispanic man who is 35-40 years old, 5 feet 5 inches to 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighs 180 pounds, has black hair and a light fuzz mustache, and was last seen wearing a red shirt and dark basketball shorts.
One woman from the neighborhood, who wished to remain unidentified, said she believes she has seen the suspect before.
"The guy looks very familiar, I think he's the guy that lives by my house," said the woman. "This is the second time that this happened in this month."
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Miami Police Department's Special Victims Unit at 305-603-6300. Those with information that wish to remain anonymous can call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS (4877).