A group of New Yorkers who recognized the suspect in a horrific rape of a 13-year-old girl tackled him to the ground and held him until police arrived around 1 a.m. Tuesday, cellphone video shows.
Christian Geovanny Inga-Landi, a 25-year-old Ecuadorian, entered the country illegally in 2021 near Eagle Pass, Texas, police said.
He racked up an arrest in Texas and a handful of violations in New York City before police say he cornered a pair of 13-year-old boys in a Queens park, forced them into the woods at knifepoint, He tied their wrists with shoelaces and raped them. one of them. He allegedly stole their phones and told them to stay still for 20 minutes while he fled.
MIGRANT ARRESTED FOR DAYLIGHT RAPE OF 13-YEAR-OLD BRAOD IN NEW YORK PARK
A still image taken from video shows alleged child rapist Christian Inga on the ground, holding his face as a group of “neighborhood people” held him down until police arrived. (Obtained by Fox News)
With the help of the victims, police released a portrait of the suspect. A local resident then saw it on surveillance video, which police also released.
A group of men at a delicatessen in nearby Corona recognized him and pounced on him. They then held him until police arrived, according to authorities.
'JUST THE BEGINNING': TRUMP WARNS. THE CRISIS OF THE 'BIDEN MIGRANTS' WILL GET MUCH WORSE AFTER THE CHILD RAPE IN NY
Attached is a photo of the migrant who was arrested for sexual assault. His clothes are torn, one of his shoes is missing and he is bruised after residents subdued him and called 911. (FoxNews)
“Everyone knew who we were looking for,” said NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny. “We received tips to identify the perpetrator. They knew who he was. They saw him on the street.”
“We saw on the body camera video at least 10 people from the neighborhood trying to do the right thing,” Kenny added.
A local man named Jeffrey Flores was one of the first to see him when he was captured, he told the New York Post.
“I saw him several times; he comes to this store to buy things,” he told the newspaper, speaking outside the deli where the arrest occurred. “I waited for him. I waited all day to see if he would come up. He came at night.
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Police investigate the scene of a sexual assault in Kissena Corridor Park in Queens, New York, on Thursday, June 13, 2024. According to the NYPD, two 13-year-old children, a boy and a girl, were taken into custody at point with a knife, tied up and the girl, raped by an unknown assailant who then fled the scene. (Peter Gerber)
Inga-Landi was treated for minor injuries after police said he tried to fight off the good Samaritans, who tied his legs with a belt to prevent him from fleeing.
“He tried to defend himself,” added Flores, who said he had two younger sisters and a daughter on the way. “He tried to run to save his life, but he couldn't. He admitted it. He was saying, 'Okay, okay, okay. Don't hit me, don't hit me.'”
The attack It happened Thursday at Kissena Park, about 3 miles from where the New York Mets play at Citi Field and near the site of the 1964 World's Fair and the U.S. Open. The victim also went to the neighborhood school.
An interested person seen in a still image taken from surveillance video riding a bicycle prior to his arrest. (NYPD)
Police described him as a Hispanic man in his 20s with braces and a tattoo of an animal with horns and red eyes on his chest.
Videos and photos taken of his capture show the tattoo placed prominently over his heart.
He was expected to be arraigned Tuesday afternoon on a host of charges, including rape, kidnapping and other felonies.
As police escorted him out of the 112th Precinct building to take him to court, an onlooker could be heard yelling, “You piece of s—” as he walked with his head down.
NEW YORK GIRL, 13, SEXUALLY ATTACKED AT KNIFEPOINT DURING DAYLIGHT IN PARK: POLICE
The 13-year-old girl was raped in Kissena Corridor Park, Flushing Queens, New York. (Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
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The migrant had several previous low-level crimes, including skipping subway fares and drinking in public. Police said he was also involved in a domestic violence incident in which no charges were filed and that he had an unspecified arrest in Texas.
“Enforcing misdemeanors is important, even though City Hall is trying to tell us it's not,” Giacalone said. “Not only does it create a deterrent to future crimes, but it also creates the opportunity for police to gather intelligence in order to track down people who have committed crimes as heinous as the one we have just seen.”
Police investigate the scene of a sexual assault in Kissena Corridor Park in Queens, New York, on Thursday, June 13, 2024. According to the NYPD, two 13-year-old children, a boy and a girl, were taken into custody at point with a knife, tied up and the girl, raped by an unknown assailant who then fled the scene. (Peter Gerber)
In previous administrations, he said, a fare jumper would be arrested, taken to the police station and fingerprinted, often helping police solve more serious crimes.
Fox News' Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.
