There seems to be no end to sexually-related crimes in the U.S. An example is the alleged robbery and sexual assault of a young woman in broad daylight in the 1000 block of Clayton Lane, a bustling northeast Austin, Texas neighborhood street, two weeks ago. Four black males are believed to have been involved in the bizarre crime.
The victim, 20-years-old, told Detective John Sevier of the Austin Police Department's sex crimes unit, that she had been driving near Cameron Road and U.S. Highway 290, minding her own business when, shortly past 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 1, 2008, a brown coupe with four men inside drove alongside her and demanded that she pull to the side of the road. One of the men was brandishing a black gun. Fearing that she would be shot if she didn't comply, the young woman stopped along Clayton Lane. Despite the busy activity along the street, the man who held the gun got inside her car and beat her. He also robbed her, and sexually assaulted her. He didn't stop the sexual assault until the victim began to scream, at which time he left the scene with the other men. Distraught and beside herself with fear and anxiety, the victim drove away and was soon involved in a minor accident with another vehicle about a half-mile away from the scene of the attack as she frantically searched for a pay phone so that she could call her boyfriend.
Sevier described the young woman as a "victim of opportunity," and said in a public announcement that the only lead the police have is a vague description of the four men and the car they were driving.
"All black males," Sevier said last week. "The one with the gun was the oldest. There's no description of the other three except that they were younger than the one with the gun…after the assailants had left, she started screaming, and she remained in her vehicle and drove away. Obviously she was distraught and had the minor fender bender."
The victim told the police that she did not know her attackers.
If anyone has any information about this crime, no matter how insignificant it may seem, the Austin Police Department's sex crimes unit urges that you call their tip line at (512) 974-5095. They would like to hear from anyone who may have witnessed the crime or who may have seen anything suspicious in the area at the time of the attack.
For more information about sex crimes and sexual offenders, please read David Lohr's recent post on ID's The Criminal Report Daily.