Surveillance Footage of South Slope Groping Suspect Released; Police Who Responded to Attack Reassigned to Another Precinct

Surveillance footage has been released in connection with a sexual attack against a 22 year-old woman in South Park Slope this past Wednesday. The suspect, described as a Hispanic male in his 40s, about 5'4" and 140 lbs, is seen heading down 4th Avenue before entering the R train station at Prospect Avenue (you can watch the surveillance video on NY1)

The attack occurred on 16th Street between 4th and 5th Avenues, and since then, there's been some serious eyebrow raising about the way the first police officers on the scene handled the incident. According to some witnesses, after the woman was attacked, a neighbor chased the assailant and held him until 2 police officers arrived, but they let the man go. The police claim that the victim was not on the scene when they arrived, and after some time still had not shown up, so they left without speaking to her. 

Park Slope Patch is now reporting that those officers since been stripped of their guns and put on desk duty at other precincts. Councilmember Brad Lander was pleased with this news, saying, “We need to ensure that the police are taking any sexual assault in our community seriously," Lander said. "It is good to hear that [the 72nd precinct's Commanding Officer] Captain Grant acted swiftly after the troubling response to Wednesday morning’s attack. The community and the police must remain vigilant against violence in our community.”