A man with a lengthy criminal history is now charged in a random sexual attack that could keep him in prison for decades.
The criminal complaint filed against 31-year-old Eliezer Rodriguez describes the victim's account of what happened in Minneapolis on June 7 including being held at knifepoint, repeated sexual assaults, and being forced to drive her attacker around the city before she was eventually able to escape.
Squads were dispatched to the 2800 block of Emerson on that day on reports of a robbery and sexual assault. Officers were met by the victim, who told them a man had approached her on a trail near Cedar Lake, held her at knifepoint and then forced her into the woods, where she was sexually assaulted.
The victim told investigators that following the assault, the attacker told her he needed a ride, walked the woman back to her vehicle and forced her to drive him around. They eventually ended up at a parking ramp where the woman was sexually assaulted a second time. She told police that the attacker then force her to drive to McDonalds and order him food.
After leaving the restaurant the two drove to the area of 28th and Colfax where the defendant reportedly told the woman he had one more thing to do and then pulled out a syringe. The victim says when the man reached toward her she jumped out of the vehicle and ran until a bystander came up and asked if she needed help.
The woman gave police a detailed description of her attacker, including distinctive clothing and a tear drop tattoo under his left eye.
On June 8 State Troopers spotted the victim's car at a rest stop off I-94 between Fergus Falls and Dalton. Witnesses told troopers the man in the car had been acting suspiciously and asking for money or a ride. The man was gone, but law enforcement was eventually able to locate and take him into custody. He was then identified as Eliezer Rodriguez. During a medical examination, the defendant was found to have scratches on his upper torso and bicep.
The victim identified Rodriguez from a photo lineup, telling officers she was "one thousand percent sure" he was her attacker. Surveillance video from the Minneapolis McDonald's and a gas station in Dalton shows the defendant wearing pants with a distinctive rip near the left knee.
A check of Rodriguez's criminal history shows previous convictions for kidnapping, aggravated robbery, burglary and railing to register as a predatory offender and criminal vehicular operation.
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