Sacramento police today arrested 21-year-old Rasaan Zawadi (left photo) in connection with the unprovoked attack on a woman in south Sacramento that was captured on video and believed to have been posted on the Internet by the suspects.
The Police Department on Wednesday was made aware of the video of an assault on a woman that had gone viral on the Internet. Calls were received from throughout the country inquiring about the investigation, according to a Police Department news release.
Detectives assigned to the case learned that patrol officers had responded to an assault call about 12:11 p.m. Oct. 1 at Center Parkway and Mack Road. When officers arrived, the suspects had left the scene, and the victim, a 42-year-old woman, did not want to pursue prosecution of her attackers at the time, police said.
But based on the newly discovered video evidence of the assault, detectives sought to identify the people involved. With the video and tips that came in from the public, detectives were able to identify one of the suspects seen in the video hitting the woman.
Zawadi was identified as the first suspect to hit the victim, according to the news release. Detectives, working with the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office, obtained an arrest warrant for Zawadi and were preparing to look for him when a Sacramento County sheriff's deputy stopped him near German Drive and French Road in south Sacramento this morning on an unrelated incident.
The Sacramento Police Department arrested Zawadi on suspicion of assault with a gang enhancement. Detectives think the assault was gang related and are continuing their investigation into the second suspect involved in the assault.
The Sacramento Police Department urges anyone with information about the crime to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357, or text a tip to 274637. Enter SACTIP followed by the tip information. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.
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