Charges: Man Chased Woman Off LRT Before Sexually Assaulting Her
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A St. Paul man is facing charges for allegedly threatening to kill a woman on a light rail train before sexually assaulting her.
According to the criminal complaint, a 22-year-old woman described in police reports as a vulnerable adult called 911 on May 24 just before 10:30 p.m. She was near the area of University Avenue West and Western Avenue in St. Paul. The woman told 911 a man was following her.
When police arrived, they were unable to locate the suspect. During interviews, the woman said she boarded a Light Rail Green Line train on the east side of Minneapolis just after 10 p.m.
She said a black male sat next to her, and when she moved seats he followed him. When she tried to move again, the man threatened to kill her, she said.
The woman left the train and the male followed her. She got on the train again, but the man allegedly threatened to kill her if she did not get off again.
It was at this point the woman called 911. Shortly after that, she said the man sexually assaulted her in a parking lot, lying on top of her and reaching underneath her clothing to assault her.
A sexual assault examination revealed abrasions that corroborated the woman's story.
Metro Transit officers identified the man from a photo the next day. Tibesso Hamine Tufa, 34, said he was the man in the photo.
Tufa went to police headquarters the next week, but declined to be interviewed. He faces a felony count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct. There is a warrant out for his arrest.
