USA: German Tourist Sexually Assaulted And Robbed

A violent robber is on the loose after knocking a German tourist’s teeth out and sexually assaulting her as she was walking back from the subway to her Harlem Airbnb rental, police said Friday.

Shocking surveillance video released by cops shows the crook attacking his 31-year-old victim on W. 146th St. near Frederick Douglass Blvd. about 2:50 a.m. Thursday.

He puts his arm around her back and he starts speaking to her, (saying) ‘I want your bag — I have a gun,’ NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said. It gets violent after that.

The brute wound up and delivered a crushing blow to the woman's head that dropped her to the ground, then continued to punch her as she covered her face to try and protect herself from the force of his blows, the video shows.

While the victim was on the ground, her attacker tore off her pants and sexually assaulted her, police said.

The beating knocked several of the woman's teeth out and left her face and body bruised and swollen. Paramedics took her to an area hospital where she is in serious but stable condition, cops said.

The attacker ran away east on W. 146th St. with the victim's purse.

Boyce said that his detectives have identified a suspect in a strikingly similar robbery from April 4 just four blocks away — and believe both attacks were carried out by the same suspect, whom they have identified and are trying to find.

In the earlier incident, a mugger walked up behind a 35-year-old woman as she walked home from the subway, pretended he had a gun and grabbed her handbag.

“I have a gun, just give me your bag,” he demanded.

The woman screamed and he punched her repeatedly in the face, pulled down her pants and grabbed her groin, police said.

Paramedics took the victim to Harlem Hospital in stable condition.

Detectives found a video of her attacker coming out of a store where he used her credit card, Boyce said Friday.

We showed it to that victim and she identified him immediately, Boyce said. I am not going to give out his identity as of yet. I want my detectives to have an opportunity to pick him up and speak with him.

Cops released surveillance video Thursday showing the suspect in the earlier incident pushing a shopping cart inside a building lobby. He was wearing a green sweat suit, black hat and white sneakers.

We're going to see if we can pick him up and see if he did both crimes, Boyce said.

Detectives are also poring over about a dozen other robbery and assault cases from the area to see if the same attacker is behind them.

Locals reacted with shock.

I've been in the neighborhood for over 30 years and stuff like that never happens, said a resident.

Crystal Wright, 52, was buying some groceries and chimed in.

Damn, all over a purse? That's messed up. I would've whooped his a for sure, she said.

The suspect in Thursday’s attack is described as black, about 5-foot-8 and 175 pounds with short, dark colored hair.

He was wearing grey sweatpants, white sneakers and a dark-colored hoodie.

Cops flooded the neighborhood with extra patrols to try to crack down the suspect.

We're asking everybody in the neighborhood if they know this individual to notify the police right away, Boyce said.