Bronx rape suspect allegedly tried to murder man last week, has 19 prior arrests
MOTT HAVEN, Bronx (WABC) -- Police say the man they arrested in the rape of a woman in the Bronx had tried to murder a man last week.
Video shows suspect Christopher Martinez, 19, wearing a distinctive hoodie, covering his face as he was led out of the Bronx Special Victims Unit overnight.
The surveillance pictures put out a day prior has Martinez wearing a different distinctive hoodie.
It is part of a collaboration between Primitive Skateboarding (a skateboard line) and Naruto Shippuden (an anime series).
Martinez is accused of following a woman out of her Mott Haven apartment on Tuesday morning and leading her at knifepoint to St. Mary's Park.
Police say he was seen on surveillance video crouching down and waiting for the 38-year-old woman on Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. near Beech Terrace and Beekman Avenue.
That's where they say he raped her and stole her wallet. The victim received treatment at an area hospital and is in stable condition.
Neighbors are on alert.
"Things are getting worse in this area, when it comes to things happening in the park or around here," said Chris Alvarez, a neighbor.
"I carry a self-defense bracelet. I have pepper spray. That's the life of a woman," another resident said.
Martinez was already in police custody for the attempted murder of a man last week.
The NYPD says Martinez walked up to a man in a car asked him, "What's up?" and stabbed him four times in the back. The victim is hospitalized and is expected to survive his injuries.
Martinez has 19 prior arrests.
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