Police: Man arrested after ambushing, sexually assaulting Aventura hotel employee

AVENTURA, Fla. – A hotel in Aventura became the scene of a terrifying attack.

According to police, a man inside the Residence Inn by Marriot on Country Club Drive ambushed an employee as she was cleaning one of the rooms.

Police said it happened on Monday at approximately 5:40 p.m.

The woman managed to escape, only for the suspect to allegedly sexually assault another worker, authorities said.

Police identified the suspect as 27-year-old Ali Qadourah.

According to authorities, Qadourah, who is homeless, confessed to police that he went into the hotel looking for a place to take a shower.

After entering a room on the fourth floor, a member of the housekeeping staff walked in on him. She quickly turned around and ran away, yelling for help. She also injured her back after running into a wall, police said.

According to an arrest report, while Qadourah was chasing the woman, he ran past the victim and forced her into another room, locking the door from the inside.

The victim was physically and sexually assaulted by Qadourah, according to the report, but she was able to escape the room and run for help.

“She landed face down. He got on top of her and began choking her with his forearms. As she was losing consciousness, she managed to free her arms,” the arrest report stated. “She was able to grab his neck and began choking him.”

Police said Qadourah ran away as hotel employees chased after him.

He ended up inside a parking garage at the nearby Aventura Mall, where officers said they took him into custody.

Qadourah is facing several charges, including sexual battery, kidnapping and burglary.


About the Authors:

David Dwork joined the WPLG Local 10 News team in August 2019. Born and raised in Miami-Dade County, David has covered South Florida sports since 2007.

Christian De La Rosa joined Local 10 News in April 2017 after spending time as a reporter and anchor in Atlanta, San Diego, Orlando and Panama City Beach.