Aurora police arrest suspect in violent sexual assault at Expo Park last year
Aurora police have arrested a man they say sexually assaulted a woman on the High Line Canal Trail at Expo Park last May.
Officers were called to the scene early on the morning of May 8, where a woman had been violently attacked. The woman told officers that she was walking along the trail when an unknown man came and attacked her from behind. She said that she suffered serious injuries during the attack.
The woman managed to fight him off, and he ran from the scene. In an interview with CBS Colorado, she said prior self-defense classes helped her survive.
"Hit, hit, hit. Fight, fight. I scratched his face, grabbed at his eyes, and just kept fighting until he let go," she said. "I thought, 'I can't fight him standing up, I'll take him to the ground. I am not going to die today.'"
Police asked the community to help locate a man seen on nearby security cameras, whom they believed was the culprit. The case remained unsolved until someone recognized the suspect in a news article about the attack. The anonymous tipster identified Jack Khaidav as the possible suspect in the video. When officers arrived at the address provided, Khaidav's mother said she recognized her son in the video.
On Thursday, the Aurora Police Department announced the department's sex crimes unit took Khaidav into custody this week. According to court documents, he told a detective that he was the person who attacked the woman and that he struggled with anger issues. The detective's statement said Khaidav reported he was out drinking with friends before the assault.
Officers booked him into the Arapahoe County Jail. He is being held without bond pending his first court appearance, which is scheduled for Feb. 3.
"Cases like this require patience, precision and an unwavering commitment to victims," said Investigations Bureau Cmdr. Marc Paolino. "The dedicated men and women of the Sex Crimes Unit never quit. They remain focused on holding suspects accountable while pursuing justice for victims."
