A 26-year-old man is accused of raping and beating a University of Wisconsin in Madison student and then posing as an innocent person after the attack, police said.
Brandon Thompson, 26, was busted Wednesday on charges of sexual assault, reckless endangerment and strangulation in connection with a “horrific” attack that left a young woman clinging to life, according to Madison police.
“This case will not be complete until these cowardly attackers receive the justice they deserve,” Chief Shon Barnes said at a press conference.
Thompson was arrested three days after allegedly pouncing on the student as he walked through the college town’s commercial district around 3:30 a.m.
The suspect allegedly broke the woman’s jaw and left her with “life-threatening injuries” in a brutal sexual assault that police called a “top priority” for the department.
Thompson allegedly hung around the scene after brutalizing the young woman and spoke directly to a witness who rushed to the victim after hearing a “commotion.”
“Thompson told this witness that he ‘just found’ our survivor, pretending to be an innocent bystander,” Barnes said.
He refused to hold on, however, and crashed in a black sedan before the police arrived.
Brandon Thompson was arrested for raping and beating a stranger over the weekend in a vicious attack that left him clinging to life. Dane County Sheriff’s Office
While police collected DNA and other physical evidence from the crime scene, community home surveillance footage led them directly to Thompson.
“As a result of this video, detectives were able to read the license plate which directly led to the identification of Brandon Thompson as the perpetrator of this attack,” said Paige Valenta, the department’s assistant chief of investigative services.
Police made the arrests early Wednesday as Thompson was receiving “medical treatment” for undisclosed injuries, though police could not say whether they were related to the crime.
Thompson, who lives in Madison, has no prior convictions. It is unclear if he was involved in any previous violent incidents.
The victim is a woman in her 20s and a student at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.Shutterstock
Officers do not believe there is any connection between Thompson and his victim – he may have seen her walking through the college town and decided to attack.
Another local resident claimed he had been “grazed” from the street and dragged between two houses by unknown people in the hours before the attack.
“I think that’s one of the scariest things about it,” Barnes said.
The victim, who is in his 20s, is expected to survive his injuries. He was initially classified as in critical condition.
Thompson was allegedly at the scene, but told witnesses he “found” the victim before taking off.WISN
The attack by the foreigners sparked an intense police investigation, with police expanding patrols in the area afterwards.
Campus police urge students to use university safety equipment available to them and to travel in groups, especially at night.
University police chief Kristen Roman reminded the community that the horrific attack was “extremely rare” for the Midwestern city.
“But when it happens, we come together in anger, in sadness, sometimes in fear, but always in support,” Roman said.
“The violence perpetrated against this young woman on Sunday morning is appalling and will not be tolerated. This is not Madison. This is not UW Madison.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
