Family, Community Rally To Find Alleged Rapist Of 11-Year-Old Girl
HIGHLAND PARK (WWJ) -- Community leaders are helping authorities search for a man who allegedly beat and raped an 11-year-old girl as she walked to the bus stop on her way to school in Highland Park.
The man allegedly man dragged her at gunpoint into an abandoned home and sexually assaulted her. The suspect reportedly told the child that she had her mother to blame for the attack because she shouldn't have been walking alone.
Search parties have been scouring Highland Park looking for the man since last week. Minister Malik Shabazz said that he is disgusted by the assault and is passionate about finding the suspect.
"He told her 'go home, blame your mama for allowing you to walk to school,'" Shabazz said. "She was actually trying to catch the bus to go to school. It's not the mama's fault, it's his fault -- he did it."
According to police, the child was walking to a school bus stop when she was grabbed, Wednesday, Dec. 10, sometime between 7:45 a.m. and 8:15 a.m., along Church St. in the area of McNichols and John R.
Search party participants are slated to meet up at the McDonald's on Woodward Ave. inside of the Model T Plaza in Highland Park at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
"I wish I were at liberty to tell you everything he did," Shabazz said. "In my 30 years of community service, community activism, this is the most brutal and horrendous rape that I have ever heard of."
Community leaders are also collecting donations to buy new clothing for all of the victim's siblings.
"The police cannot do it all -- Detroit or Highland Park -- they don't have enough man power, but the community can help." Shabazz said. "When you have the people, the police, the politicians, the preachers and the community working together it becomes an unbeatable coalition."
Anyone with information about this crime is asked to contact Highland Park Police or the Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at 1-800-SPEAK-UP. A reward of up to $1,000 is available from Crime Stoppers for information leading to an arrest in this case.
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