Victim Attacked Near North Park: “There Are Still Suspects Out There”

The Normal Heights woman who was the victim of a brutal attack near 33rd Street and Meade Avenue is warning North Park residents “there are still suspects out there.”

She wants police to do more to emphasize the threat so people stay vigilant. She says when David Drake was arrested for the series of attacks on women in North Park, she wasn’t relieved.

“I honestly don't feel relief, and I don’t think the other women either,” she told NBC 7 in an exclusive interview. “They haven't caught the people who did it to me and the case after me.”

San Diego police confirm her case is on-going, but they’ve removed it from the series. Drake was not charged in her case. San Diego Police Captain Dave Nisleit spoke to NBC 7 acknowledging there is at least one other attacker, and people still need to be vigilant.

The woman says on June 17, she got off the bus and was walking home on Meade Avenue around 11:30 p.m. when two men ran up to her from behind.

“I was grabbed from behind and tripped down and one guy had his arm pinned behind me, like he was pinning my arms up. The other guy got on top of me and was trying to take my clothes off, my pants off, fondling me, biting me,” she recalled holding back tears.

Four days later, another attack happened on Lincoln Avenue also involving two suspects. She believes the men who assaulted her were responsible for that attack as well. She wants police to emphasize, although one suspect is behind bars, there may still be attackers who have not been caught preying on random women walking alone.

“That really makes me angry. It's like [police] don’t want to alarm the residents of North Park. I just want people to know there are still suspects out there and probably more than what they think. It's not finished.”

San Diego police say, at this time, there are no new leads in this woman’s case. In a recent press conference about the arrest of David Drake, they stated there are other investigations.

“There were a lot of cases that came in we worked in conjunction to the community, the DA's office, all of the units,” said Lt. Sandra Albrektsen with SDPD’s Sex Crimes Unit.

When asked if Drake acted completely alone, Lt. Albrektsen responded, “Anything is possible and it's part of the process. You have to be objective and open to any possibilities. At this point he is the only person we have in custody for [the North Park series].”

In a previous press release for the June 17 attack, police provided the suspects’ descriptions:

The first suspect was described as a Hispanic male 28 to 29 years old, 6-foot, wearing a hooded sweatshirt, and he spoke with a Spanish accent.

The second suspect was described as a light skinned Hispanic male, 23 to 24 years old, 5-feet 7-inches to 5-feet to 8-inches, wearing a black shirt, black and white checkered long sleeve shirt and braces. The attached composite sketch was created to help catch the second suspect.

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