MIAMI (WSVN) - A South Florida woman is sharing her story about an attempted kidnapping outside her front door that, police said, happened at the hands of a man who would go on to sexually assault another woman at gunpoint.
City of Miami Police released disturbing surveillance video that captures the ordeal that took place in Miami’s Little Haiti neighborhood.
“It was so fast, I didn’t have time to think,” said the victim, who asked not to be identified or show her face on camera.
Thirty-four-year-old Tavares Canty is wanted for attempted kidnapping and sexual battery.
“Very scared. I’m still scared. I can’t even sleep at night,” said the woman. “I’m just hoping that police catch him. It can happen to any woman ’cause he seems crazy. I believe he is very dangerous.”
The security footage shows Canty, seen wearing a baseball cap, approaching the victim as she is going into her home, Thursday, at around 7 a.m.
The suspect is then seen grabbing the woman as he tries to force his way inside. She is seen trying to push him away, and after a brief struggle, wrests herself from his grasp and runs away.
“Very lucky, very lucky,” said the victim.
UPDATE: The video below is of Tavares Anthony Canty who is wanted for attempted kidnapping & a sexual assault case that occurred the early morning of April 26, 2018 in #littlehaiti @CrimeStopper305 pic.twitter.com/DUsbwwsMRx
— Miami PD (@MiamiPD) April 30, 2018
About an hour later, police said, the suspect broke into a nearby home and sexually assaulted another woman at gunpoint.
“The concern is, in the second case it was armed,” said Miami Police Officer Kenia Fallat. “We don’t want him to strike again.”
Police said surveillance video released late last week shows Canty leaving the area of the attack while pushing his bicycle and carrying what appears to be a cardboard box.
Investigators said the suspect is armed and dangerous. “At any given second — it could be a child, it could be an adult, it could be anyone — could become a victim of this individual,” said Miami Police Cmdr. Freddie Cruz.
Police identified Canty as the suspect on Friday. They said he has an extensive rap sheet.
Now investigators are asking for the community’s help to get him off the street.
“He is very violent. He has numerous previous charges of robbery, burglary, weapons possession,” said Cruz. “We do know that he was armed in this sexual assault.”
While the search continues, the victim said she’s still too afraid to leave the house. She is asking anyone with information to come forward.
“Please call the police, not just for me to try to sleep at night, but for every girl around here, for every woman, for everybody that is around here that is scared,” she said, “because I believe that he is still around.”
Police are offering a $3,000 reward for information that leads to Canty’s arrest.
If you have any information on his whereabouts, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for that $3,000 reward.
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