Police have arrested a parolee who allegedly stalked and then brutally raped a woman inside her SoHo apartment building over the weekend, authorities confirmed.
According to police sources, 30-year-old Ellow Williams allegedly spotted his 23-year-old victim as she left a cab in the area of Thompson and Prince Streets at around 4:10 a.m. on April 21.
Ducking behind a parked car, law enforcement sources said, Williams allegedly followed the young woman into her apartment building where he made the attack on the second floor.
“She’s put into a chokehold. The perp threatens to shoot her. She is sexually assaulted then he steals $40 from her and flees the location,” NYPD Chief Detectives Joseph Kenny said at an April 23 briefing.
The victim sought treatment at a local hospital following the incident.
Police pored over video footage and questioned people in the area of the attack, and eventually were able to identify Williams as the prime suspect — thanks in part to the distinctive hoodie he allegedly wore, which had a design of a red heart on it.
Investigators were able to use this information to track Williams down and place him in cuffs on Tuesday.
A source familiar with the investigation reported that Williams was also positively identified by his own grandmother.
Williams has been previously arrested five times in New York City and once in New Jersey, according to police sources. Williams was apprehended in 2019 and later convicted of a gunpoint street robbery. He was released on parole on March 2, 2023.
“He is notable in that he is out on parole for robbery. He has an extensive contact with the police,” Chief Kenny said.
Williams was taken out of the Special Victims Unit in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday night in cuffs, escorted by detectives where he was peppered with questions from the press. However, Williams denied the allegations.
“Ain’t do nothing,” he said.
Williams is charged with rape, robbery, strangulation, stalking, burglary, sex abuse, coercion, and criminal possession of a firearm.
Police say rapes slightly rose by 0.7% so far this year. From Jan. 1 to April 23, there have been 454 incidents of rape compared to 451 the same time last year.
In the area of Patrol Borough Manhattan South, rapes sharply rose 41.9% with 44 taking place this year versus 31 the year prior. However, police say five rapes that have taken place so far within the confines of the 1st Precinct, the same that took place the same time in 2023.
The NYPD maintains that rape is the most underreported crime in the city. Anyone who is a victim of sexual assault is urged to contact the 24-hour NYPD Special Victims Division hotline at 212-267-RAPE (7273).
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