Mira Wassef is a digital reporter who has covered news and sports in the New York City area for more than a decade. She joined PIX11 News in 2022. See more of her work here.
Correction: The man wanted in connection to the rape has been identified but remains on the loose.
THE BRONX, N.Y. (PIX11) --- Police identified a man for allegedly choking a woman with a belt and raping her between two cars on a Bronx street last week.
Kashaan Parks, 39, who has five prior arrests, is the suspect sought in connection to the May 1 attack near 152nd Street and Third Avenue, according to NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny.
The 45-year-old woman was walking down the street when a suspect came up from behind and looped the belt around her neck, the viral video shows. The man, who covered his face with a white towel, then used the belt to pull the passed-out woman several feet along the sidewalk and into the street between two parked cars, the video shows. Police said the suspect then raped her.
A possible prostitution deal may have sparked the violent assault, according to Kenny.
"They were with each other earlier in the evening. There may have been a promise of sex for money. We're still working that out," Kenny said at a press briefing Friday.
Authorities said Parks and the victim knew each other from the neighborhood and the woman identified Parks by a gap in his teeth.
The victim was arrested for petit larceny after the attack but never reported the rape, authorities said. A Bronx police officer recognized the woman in the video, which led to the investigation, Kenny said.
The video was released on WhatsApp before going viral on social media.
This a developing story. Refresh the page for updates.
Mira Wassef is a digital reporter who has covered news and sports in the New York City area for more than a decade. She joined PIX11 News in 2022. See more of her work here.