TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

3 Men Sought After 2 Women Abducted, Raped In Apollo Beach

ADVERTISEMENT

TBO.com

Published: August 19, 2008

Updated: 08/19/2008 03:17 pm

One Of The Suspects

Another Image Of The Same Suspect

TAMPA - Detectives are looking for three men they say sexually assaulted two women Saturday morning after robbing them at gunpoint and abducting them.

The women, ages 31 and 24, were closing an Apollo Beach business about 3:30 a.m. Saturday when one of them was approached by the three men, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said.

The woman was robbed and forced back into the business, which also was robbed. The women, whose names were not released because they are victims of sex crimes, were taken into one of the victim's vehicles and driven to a remote location off Dickman Road, authorities said.

The women were sexually assaulted by the three men. The women were then driven to a Bank of America ATM in Apollo Beach, where one of the men used the 24-year-old woman's bank card, detectives said.

A surveillance camera at the ATM recorded an image of the man, described as Hispanic, about 5 feet 7 inches tall, between 160 and 180 pounds with a medium build, black hair, light mustache and a stubble beard. The man is in his 20s and was last seen wearing a blue plaid shirt, blue baseball cap and work gloves. He was armed with a handgun.

After leaving the bank, one of the men got out of the car at an unknown location. The other two men then drove to a Chevron gas station, where one of them went into the store.

When the men left the store, the women were taken to an unknown location, where one was sexually assaulted a second time, the sheriff's office said. The women were then driven to mile marker No. 234 on Interstate 75 in Manatee County.

The women were forced out of the car and the men drove away. The women walked to an emergency call box to report the incident to authorities. They were taken to a local hospital, where they were treated and released.

The other two attackers are described as Hispanic men in their 20s with thin builds. Both were armed with handguns, detectives said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office at (813) 247-8200 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-8477.

Editor's note: Earlier versions of this report gave an incorrect day for the assault.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT