A woman was forced into a car at gunpoint early Saturday near Dorsey Lane and 8th Street in Tempe, driven to an unknown location, and sexually assaulted, according to police. Investigators are now asking the public for help tracking down the armed suspect, who remains at large.
The attack happened around 2:30 a.m. on Saturday, October 31, according to Yahoo News. Police said the man forced the woman into his car at gunpoint and drove her to an unknown area, where the assault took place. The report notes the intersection sits just south of University Drive.
Tempe police described the suspect as a Hispanic man between 30 and 40 years old with thin facial hair, last seen wearing a black shirt, per the same account. His vehicle was described only as a light-colored SUV. Beyond that description, the station's report indicates investigators have not released further details about the suspect or the circumstances of the attack.
What Investigators Haven't Said
As of now, there's no public confirmation of whether a suspect has been identified or arrested, nor has the location where the assault occurred been disclosed. Police provided no other details about the incident, according to the coverage from Arizona's Family.
The scarcity of detail leaves residents in the area with little more than a general description to go on: a man in his 30s or 40s, thin facial hair, a black shirt, and a light-colored SUV. Police are asking the public for help.
Context on Local Crime Reporting
Tempe's broader crime statistics are tracked through the National Incident-Based Reporting System, a standard the department adopted in January 2022 after moving away from the older FBI Uniform Crime Report program, according to the City of Tempe. NIBRS is now the FBI's required method for reporting crime data nationwide.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety, which compiles statewide figures, cautions that its numbers for the current year are incomplete and warns against drawing comparisons to past years. Per the Arizona Department of Public Safety, data from participating agencies is collected monthly and the current year does not reflect a full 12 months, meaning no year-over-year trend can be drawn from it in connection with this case.
For now, the investigation into Saturday's attack remains active, with no further information released by Tempe police beyond the suspect and vehicle descriptions already shared.
