Brooklyn Center 21-Year-Old Charged With Sexual Assault At Gunpoint
A Brooklyn Center man has been charged with a brazen sexual assault at gunpoint that police say occurred during broad daylight in Brooklyn Park.
Cade Talawalay, 21, was charged Tuesday with first-degree criminal sexual conduct and aggravated robbery.
According to the criminal complaint, a “very distraught” woman reported to police that she’d been sexually assaulted in the afternoon of April 24.
The complaint said the woman told police she’d been walking on the trail next to Shingle Creek between Unity and Regent avenues. She said she was on the trail near a carwash on 73rd Avenue when she was approached a male suspect, the complaint said.
The victim described the suspect as an African American male, age 24-25, with a small mustache, short Afro-like hair, an earring in each ear and a black crossover bag.
Investigators believe this man was Talawalay.
The complaint said the suspect brandished a handgun and stole the victim’s phone. He then walked her to a nearby shrubbery at gunpoint and sexually assaulted her.
According to the victim, after the assault, he let her go, the complaint said. But he threatened to kill her if she reported the incident to police.
She ran away and called 911.
Police later obtained video surveillance and released a still-photo of the suspect to the public.
A surveillance photo previously released by the Brooklyn Park Police Department. Investigators say the man in the image is 21-year-old Cade Talawalay of Brooklyn Center.
On April 27, Talawalay’s stepfather turned him into the police department, saying he believed his stepson was responsible for the crime. He was detained and later booked into jail by police.
Police later searched Talawalay’s bedroom and found the victim’s cell phone.
“The Brooklyn Park Police Department would like to sincerely thank the public for all the information and tips provided, as they were critical in this case,” police said in a news release following his arrest.
Talawalay’s first court appearance scheduled for the afternoon of May 1.
He is currently in police custody at the Hennepin County Jail.
