A man who was trying to commit a ghastly crime at a subway station has been arrested by the police. His arrest was thanks to facial recognition which, in turn, could be accomplished thanks to a video of the attempted crime recorded on a mobile phone by a person who intervened to not just save the victim but help the police in arresting the culprit.
It was in the wee hours of Saturday that a 25-year old woman was waiting for a Q train at a subway station in Manhattan. Jose Reyes, 31, attacked her and attempted to rape the lady. He pushed her to the ground and lay on top of him but thanks to the person who recorded the incident and other people around, he was forced to let go of the woman and flee.
Police action
The police then took the video from the good Samaritan and, after using facial recognition technology, were able to identify him. It turned out that Reyes is a man that police have had to deal with on several occasions before. He has been arrested several times by the police before and has been charged with crimes like grand larceny, robbery, assaulting a police officer, etc.
The woman who suffered the assault had minor injuries but didn't avail of medical attention. New York Police Department (NYPD) then released the photo of Reyes and began searching for him. He was eventually arrested by the cops at around 12:30 PM on Sunday, in the East Harlem area.
"This heinous and horrendous act was interrupted by a good Samaritan who observed Mr. Reyes' behavior and got him to cease his behavior while subsequently videotaping the incident," Chief of Detectives, NYPD, Rodney Harrison stated at a press conference.
Past of culprit
While he has had many run-ins with the police in the past, this is the first time that Reyes will face charges of committing or trying to commit a sex crime. He has been charged with attempted rape, harassment, and assault.
This story comes at a time when the police forces in the USA have been facing great criticism for alleged 'systemic racism.' The Black Lives Matter protests have created a problem of its own. Plans to cut police spending have also been floated and criticized by people connected to the law-enforcement agencies.
