The U.S. Marshals Service has issued a public plea for help in locating Abdul-Jabril Cooper, a 19-year-old D.C. man wanted on charges of rape dating back to September 2024 at the Abingdon campus of Penn State University, as per a press release from the agency. Cooper, who at the time was a student enrolled at the university, is accused of raping a female student within his campus apartment and subsequently disengaged from academic life at Penn State following the incident.
Since the issuance of a warrant for his arrest by the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office on July 16, authorities, including the Penn State University Police and the U.S. Marshals Service have extended opportunities for Cooper to surrender yet these overtures have remained unmet with the suspect choosing to evade the call for accountability, Cooper stands about 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs roughly 160 pounds, featuring black hair paired with brown eyes and is suspected to have been residing in the 1200 block of Southern Avenue SE in Washington, D.C., as reported by the U.S. Marshals Service.
In a move to bolster the search efforts, the U.S. Marshals Service Violent Crimes Fugitive Task Force in Philadelphia has joined forces with the local university police and Montgomery County officials. Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal Robert Clark underscored the severity of the situation, stating, "The rape of a student on a collegiate campus is a betrayal of safety that deserves immediate justice," and adding that "Actively evading law enforcement is a consciousness of guilt and Mr. Cooper should surrender immediately," according to the U.S. Marshals Service press release.
The Eastern Pennsylvania Violent Crimes Fugitive Task Force, a conglomerate of law enforcement personnel helmed by U.S. Marshals from Philadelphia and the surrounding counties, is spearheading this manhunt, the task force is composed of members from various agencies including the Philadelphia Police Department, Pennsylvania State Parole Officers, Pennsylvania State Police, and the Chester Police Department. Community members with any information regarding Cooper's whereabouts are urged to call the U.S. Marshals Philadelphia Tipline at 1-866-865-TIPS (8477) or to submit details through the USMS Tips App.
