Lt. Tom McDevitt told what happened.
"She walked into the common hallway. There was a man in the hallway that appeared to be leaving. As they passed each other, he put his hand over her mouth and forced her into her apartment. He demanded money. She didn't have any. Then came another knock at the door and two more men came in. She's tied up, clothing removed, and sexually assaulted."
The next door neighbor says she saw the victim enter the building and immediately heard screaming..
Benite Sangare told Action News, "She got in the hallway, slammed her door shut and screamed. I didn't pay any attention to it. I thought she fell over something, and that was it. I went to bed."
Police say the trio of thugs wore green and white golf gloves. They stayed in the apartment a total of 4 hours before stealing money and fleeing. One of the intruders was referred to as "Gary". The victim eventually walked a mile to the 39th police district to report the attack. A number of neighbors reported hearing her screams, but no one thought to call the cops..
"I heard her scream 'Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, oh my God.' Then I didn't pay attention and laid back down," said Sangare.
Just 24 hours earlier, 4 blocks away on 26th Street, a 48 year old woman was sexually assaulted in her bed by a man who stabbed her in the neck. She remains hospitalized, but police do not believe the attacks involved the same intruder.
"Based on the two incidents," said McDevitt, "we do not think they are related."
The attacked happened in her apartment building on the 2700 block of West Allegheny.
She tells police that around 1 a.m. she was walking into her apartment when she was met in the hallway by an unknown man who had forced his way into her apartment. She reported that he raped her, then called up two friends to come over, according to police.
The 3 stole numerous things from the apartment and then fled.
Police are looking for a black male around 5' 6" tall with medium complexion and a thin build. Another suspect is described as a black man with a black and red sweater, and who was wearing blue jeans. The third suspect is a heavyset black man with white sneakers.
The woman was hospitalized after the incident and is being interviewed by police.
Just 24 hours earlier, police tell Action news, a similar crime was reported along the 2900 block of N. 26th Street, which is just a few blocks away from Wednesday morning's crime.Police say a man broke into the home of a 48-year-old woman and tried to rape her. She fought him off after the attacker cut her in the neck. She also was hurt on her hands and arms while she defended herself against the attacker, according to police. She is also hospitalized in stable condition.
Police tell Action News the two attacks are not related.
