Search For Little Haiti Sexual Predator Intensifies
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Police hope they are closing in on a suspected rapist who attacked two women in Little Haiti.
On Tuesday, Miami Police revealed that the suspect in this case---34-year-old Tavares Canty---has been arrested 23 times for felonies and has been convicted for at least 9 of those charges.
Miami Police Officer and spokesman Mike Vega told CBS4's Peter D'OENCH, "This guy is dangerous. He is a danger to the community. We want anyone who was victimized by him or thinks they may have been victimized to contact us. We can help you. We believe it's happened before."
Vega showed CBS4 the paperwork on the charges against Canty. "There are 23 felony charges and he's been convicted in at least 9 of them. He also has 13 misdemeanor charges."
"We need to get him off the street," said Vega.
One of the women, who managed to fight him off, spoke about her frightening ordeal.
"This has never happened to me and I've been living here 14 years already so this is very traumatic," said the 29-year-old woman, who did want to be identified in this report.
The woman said she is now afraid to leave her home after the suspect, identified as 34-year-old Tavares Canty, tried to kidnap her.
She said it began when he came in her backyard and knocked on her backdoor.
"I was at home in the morning getting ready for work and this guy came from the back and he talked to me and told me my neighbor wanted to talk to me about something," said the victim. "He didn't look suspicious at all. He looked normal."
Surveillance cameras captured the woman going out her front door to speak with her neighbor, that's when Canty creeped up on her.
"He just pushed me inside the house," said the woman. "I was lucky because when he tried to close the door, that's when I managed to escape."
She says she ran out to the street screaming for help but there was no one around. She then ran back to the house. Because of a previous auto accident injury, she had a hard time locking the door and was forced to fight him off again.
That stunned Vega, a veteran police officer.
"This guy goes away and comes back again to try to do it again," he said.
Canty eventually left and the woman called the police and showed them exactly who they were looking for.
"I have the video and they have it from the first moment," she said.
One hour after her frightening confrontation City of Miami Police say Canty raped a woman a few blocks away. The victim's stepmother says the victim's newborn son was in the same room and two other children were in the home when the attack took place.
Police say Canty's last known address is just blocks away from the first woman's home. She has some words of advice for her neighbors.
"Be very, very careful. Now until they catch him. I was very, very lucky," she said.
Canty has an extensive record.
Anyone with information on Canty's whereabouts is urged to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS.
There's a reward of up to $3,000.
