May 8, 2018 By Tara Law
The man suspected of committing a violent sexual assault in Kew Gardens Hills last week has been arrested.
Ronald Williams, 21, was captured in a motel in South Carolina today, police say. Williams is believed to have committed a brutal sexual assault near 72nd Road and Kissena Boulevard on April 30.
Police found the victim, a 52-year-old Asian woman, lying unconscious at the bottom of a stairwell around 8:33 a.m. Special Victims Unit Captain Elisa Anders told ABC News 7 that investigators believe the attack was random, and that the assault was “unusually brutal.”
The woman’s face and body were injured in the attack. She is still hospitalized and in serious but stable condition, police say.
NYPD Police Commissioner James O’Neill wrote on Twitter that Williams was arrested by NYPD detectives who had received “valuable information” from members of the community.
Dermot F. Shea, the NYPD Chief of Detectives, said that the NYPD’s Special Victims Unit, the Fugitive Enforcement Division, and U.S. Marshals coordinated to capture Williams.
Fantastic work by members of @NYPDDetectives in tracking down & apprehending Ronald Williams today at a motel in South Carolina. Thanks to community members who assisted with valuable information. That’s exactly how cops & all NYers can share responsibility for our public safety.
— Commissioner O'Neill (@NYPDONeill) May 8, 2018