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Alex Cabrero reporting The search for an accused rapist is on.
Police say the man attacked a 21-year-old woman inside a gas station restroom. They want residents in the Fort Union area to be careful.
The attack even happened in front of the woman's two young children. She drove to a gas station so her children could use the bathroom. And the attacker was waiting inside.
The bathrooms at the gas station aren't inside, they're outside connected to the car wash. The attacker told his victim if she screamed or tried to run, he would hurt her children.
This man shouldn't be free. 35 to 40 years old, 6-foot-1 with a muscular build, short black hair, brown eyes, along with a teardrop tattoo in the corner of an eye.
Deputies say he raped a woman in this gas station bathroom Tuesday night, while her two children looked on.
Paul Jaroscak: "This one's as violent as you're going to see."
And that's coming from a sergeant who's seen plenty of rape cases in his time.
Paul Jaroscak: "This is a bad person. We'd like to get them off the street."
Residents who go to Whitmore Library, just across the street, couldn't believe it.
Ashley Thompson: "Just right over there? That's terrible."
Elaine Larson: "Scary."
Ghamar Pourpak: "I think it's terrible. It's awful."
Police also want residents in this part of Fort Union to be careful. It isn't known for these types of attacks, and there's a concern because the suspect is still out there.
Sgt. Paul Jaroscak/ Salt Lake Co. Sheriff's Office: "Around closed businesses, parking structures, any place that's not well lit, to be very cautious or even avoid those."
Scary thing is, there was no real way to prevent this attac from happening because a lot of us use the bathrooms at gas stations, and we expect them to be safe.
Ashley Thompson/ Fort Union: "I don't go into the bathrooms by myself for that exact reason. But I never thought it would happen around here."
Nobody ever does.
The victim was able to give a basic outline of what the suspect looked like. Police are hoping someone might recognize him.
