Calgary police are showing their gratitude to several good samaritans who intervened in the alleged sexual assault of a woman near the northwest Louise Riley Library on Monday.
Staff Sgt. Adam Willliams confirmed that the alleged attacker was apprehended and detained by several citizens who heard the incident taking place.
The group was walking along 14th Avenue around 12:10am when they began to hear a woman screaming from some bushes closeby. They intervened and managed to hold the alleged assailant until police arrived.
“We are thankful to those who stepped in and helped the victim during this very traumatic incident,” said Williams. “Those Good Samaritans were instrumental as they stopped the assault and held the suspect until police arrived, which resulted in a quick arrest by our officers.”
39-year-old Rodrigo Ortiz has been charged with one count of sexual assault.
This comes at a time when Canada is already facing a streak of violent crime, rising for the second year in a row. Statistics Canada reported a 5% increase since last year and in 2021, it went up by 6%.
Crime rates are currently the highest they’ve been since 2007 and the upward trend shows no evidence of slowing down.
