Four of the five suspects wanted for allegedly raping an 18-year-old woman in a New York City park have been charged in the crime, the NYPD said, adding that a fifth suspect is in custody.
The woman was walking with her father in Osborn Playground in the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn at 9:10 p.m. when five men came up to them, the NYPD said.
One man had a gun, pointed it at the dad, and told him to leave, police said. When he did, each of the five men raped the woman, according to the NYPD.
The dad quickly returned with two uniformed police officers and the suspects ran.
As of Tuesday morning, four of the suspects had been arrested and charged with rape. A fifth suspect, Travis Beckford, 17, was apprehended later in the day Tuesday.
On Sunday, 14-year-old Denzel Murray and 15-year-old Shaquell Cooper had been forced to turn themselves in by their families. Police later apprehended Ethan Phillip, 15, and Onandi Brown, 17, according to the NYPD. One additional suspect remains on the loose. All four were charged with rape, criminal sex act and sex abuse, the NYPD said.
The woman was treated at a local hospital and released. The NYPD released surveillance footage of the five men entering a bodega before the incident.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said he was "disgusted and deeply saddened by the horrific attack."
"We will take every step possible to find and swiftly prosecute the assailants of this vicious crime. Every New Yorker in every neighborhood deserves to feel safe and protected, and we will not stop until the perpetrators of this disturbing attack are held accountable for their actions. This administration has zero tolerance for sexual attacks, and we will work to ensure a crime of this nature never happens again," he added in a statement.
The NYPD later released a statement that there had been no delay in police response to the incident.
There was no 911 call, but a patrol car on the street was stopped by the victim's father, authorities said. He led officers to his daughter.
"The police officers immediately responded and located the victim," police said. "The suspects had already fled. The police officers called for a supervisor and an ambulance, which responded and transported the victim to the hospital."
At a press conference Tuesday, chief of detectives Robert Boyce said three of the five men have made statements, and there is currently no indication that the act was premeditated.
No gun has been recovered, Boyce said.
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams had earlier in the day raised questions about the police response to CBS New York. The New York Times reported it had taken about 20 minutes for the victim's father to reach police.
"There's a missing piece to this entire incident that five individuals raped a person and there was a lapse in the response to come here," Adams told CBS New York.
At Tuesday's press conference, Mayor de Blasio said information about the crime should have been given to the public "clearer and earlier."
Other neighborhood residents were upset it took two days before police turned to the public for help identifying the suspects, CBS reported.