NYC rape suspect charged after disturbing belt choke video goes viral: police

NEW YORK - A person of interest connected to the brutal choking and raping of a woman in NYC is now in custody and faces several charges.

Police previously identified Kashaan Parks, 39, as the suspected attacker, and confirmed that he was detained. He faces a slew of charges, including rape, assault, sex abuse and strangulation. He has two prior arrests, police tell FOX 5 NY.

39-year-old Kashaan Parks

"He will now face justice," NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry tweeted.

In a horrific video shared to multiple news outlets, the 45-year-old victim is attacked from behind on the sidewalk at East 152nd Street and Third Avenue in the Bronx's Melrose neighborhood.

The attacker, who obscured his face with a white towel, takes out a belt and wraps it around the woman's neck.

The man is seen pulling the woman to the ground, holding her until she loses consciousness, before dragging her between two cars, where he raped her, police said.

According to the latest NYPD statistics, there has been a 5.1% increase in rapes this year. As of May 5, a total of 511 rapes had been reported in the city, 

Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or, for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/, on Twitter @NYPDTips.