NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — A man is due in court Friday to face multiple charges after he allegedly attacked a woman on the Upper West Side. Desmond Smith, 32, was arrested Thursday and charged with attempted rape, sexual abuse, strangulation and assault . Police said the 37-year-old victim exited an Uber around 11 p.m. Wednesday near Central Park West and 84th Street. Police say when the suspect approached and tried to talk with her, she ignored him, but the man allegedly threw her onto the sidewalk, punched, stomped and bit her as he started to remove her clothing. Sources told CBS2 that she fought back, even biting him. Ernest Pjedri, who works as a doorman across the street, heard the woman scream and went to see what happened. “She was on the floor and he was on top of her. He was hitting her, basically, with hand or foot, I couldn’t see that, but also in the way I saw him pulling off the clothes,” said Pjedri. He said he pulled out his cellphone to snap a photo of the man, and the suspect was distracted by the flash. Pjedri said the man tried to tell him the woman owed him money. He and the neighbor both called police, but the suspect and victim took off separately before officers arrived. According to police, Smith has 10 prior arrests including a May 22 incident in Queens involving a domestic assault. Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-700-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via the Crime Stoppers website , or by texting a tip to 274637 (CRIMES) and then entering TIP577.
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UWS Assault Suspect Expected In Court After Brutal Attack
