Amsterdam police release video of man suspected of trying to rape night bus passenger
Police in Amsterdam issued a new appeal in their search for a man suspected of attempting to rape a fellow night bus passenger as the "young woman" tried to make her way home. Investigators said on Wednesday the man pursued the woman after she departed the bus, and waited for an opportune moment to strike. She was "sexually assaulted and grabbed by the throat" while on a side street, where the man "then attempted to perform sexual acts on her," police said.
The incident happened at about 2:30 a.m. on June 20 in the Louis Couperusbuurt, a neighborhood in the Nieuw-West district. The woman was already on the bus when the suspect boarded the bus. Surveillance video from the bus shows the man chatting with the driver while the vehicle was at a stop along the Burgemeester Fockstraat. During the conversation, the man turns his head to look outside of the bus as the victim, having just exited the vehicle, walks by on the street.
The driver opened the door to also let the man out, at which point he asked the woman a question. She continued walking, unaware of any danger. While walking, she stayed on the phone with a friend, thinking the man had gone in a different direction, police stated.
Security camera footage from a several locations, including a cafe, showed the man following the woman, and even using a planter alongside a cafe terrace to hide while waiting for her to pass. "At the end of Burgemeester Fockstraat, the woman notices the man. She tells the friend she's still talking to on the phone," according to a police report. She continued to the Burgemeester van Tienhovengracht, veering off the main road into a residential area.
The woman was violently attacked when she reached at a short set of stairs near a side street off Marsmanstraat, where the attempted rape took place. "As soon as the woman had the chance, she screamed for help and the suspect flees," police alleged. "Several neighbors were startled awake by the woman's screams and rushed to help." Meanwhile, her friend called 112 when he did not hear from her again on the phone.
The suspect had fled the scene when the police arrived. The Sexual Crimes Unit then began an investigation, using local surveillance cameras to try to identify him. The footage was initially shared internally among police officers, but it did not lead to a breakthrough in the case.
The video showed an individual who appeared to have a lighter skin tone, wearing a light-colored shirt, and a darker vest with a Canada Goose logo, or similar graphic. He was wearing blue jeans and white gym shoes, and he carried a dark duffle bag.
Police took the unusual step of releasing the clear footage of the suspect, which is regarded as a “significant investigative measure” requiring approval from the Public Prosecution Service. "This approval is generally only granted after other investigative methods, such as DNA trace analysis, have been unsuccessful and have not yielded the desired result," police said.
Anyone with information about the case or the suspect should contact detectives, police stated. "In this case, the suspect's identity has not yet been determined despite extensive investigation, and therefore the police are now asking for your assistance," police wrote.
