A man has been arrested on suspicion of luring young girls in Brooklyn and sexually attacking one of them. The New York Police Department apprehended 25-year-old Brandon Rodriguez on Tuesday and was charged with two counts of acting in a manner injurious to a child and one count of unlawful imprisonment.
According to NBC New York, the suspect has been linked to the recent Brownsville cases where a child predator was using his dogs to trick girls and lure them away.
The first incident was reported on May 24, when the suspect allegedly attempted to use the said ploy on three middle school-aged girls in the neighborhood. Police said the man was walking his dogs and had approached a 13-year-old girl. He asked the girl to take a picture of him with his dogs but then told her to follow him inside a nearby building to get his camera. Upon entering the building premises, this was where the man proceeded to touch the girl inappropriately.
Police said the girl was prevented from leaving by the attacker as he took her backpack and had put one of his dogs by the doorway of the building. The girl was able to escape with the help of her friend who called out to her, causing the predator to flee.
Based on reports, the same man tried the same trick on two different occasions the following day--a 12-year-old girl who was in front of her school and then with an 11-year-old girl who was near an intersection.
Using the same dog photo trick, police said the girls got scared and did not follow him into the building but instead ran away.
Prior to Rodriguez’s arrest, police had been on a search for the predator who was said to be in his 20’s, with braids in his hair and wearing a black hoodie and black pants.
WANTED for A Luring Pattern. #Brooklyn @NYPD73pct 5/24/21-5/25/21 between 7:39 AM- 8:31 AM in the vicinity of Pitkin Ave ,The perpetrator, Brandon Rodriguez tried to lure three underage girls into an apartment building Reward up to $3500.Know who they are? Call 1-800-577-TIPS pic.twitter.com/IBa1SoY0Zz
— NYPD Crime Stoppers (@NYPDTips) June 1, 2021
The three incidents reportedly occurred during drop-off and pick-up times in schools prompting alarm on part of the local school officials. Notes were sent home to parents, warning them to be on the lookout for the suspect.
CCTV footage released by the police helped identify and locate the suspect who could be seen on the video walking two huskies around 7:30 am on Monday in the vicinity of Pitkin Avenue, Brooklyn.
Police reports confirmed that Rodriguez also has two previous records of arrest for rape.
