Woman tells cops a masked, armed man raped her near North Myrtle Beach oceanfront hotel
A masked, armed man raped a woman near a North Myrtle Beach hotel on Monday evening, according to a police report.
The victim — a 21-year-old woman from Florida — said she was walking on the sidewalk near the Wyndham hotel, 403 S. Ocean Blvd., around 10 p.m. when the man pulled her into an alley and forced her to perform a sex act, the report states. The victim said the suspect held a gun to her head.
The suspect was a black man, wearing a ski mask, according to the report. He was heavy set and was in his late 20s.
A witness passed by and that is when the suspect grabbed the victim’s phone, threw it to the side, and then ran from the area, the report states.
Officers spoke to the witness who said he saw the incident near bushes and then heard the female say she was being sexually assaulted, according to the report. The suspect then said “I’m not touching her” and fled in an unknown direction.
The victim reported the incident to North Myrtle Beach police.
North Myrtle Beach police spokesman Pat Dowling said the suspect, who is considered armed and dangerous, might be in the Main Street area. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 843-280-5511. On Wednesday, police released an updated version of the suspect’s photo.
This story was originally published May 7, 2019 at 4:55 PM.
