Sources: Suspect wanted for violent sexual assault of woman in Center City office building in police custody
PHILADELPHIA - Authorities have identified and arrested a man accused of sexually assaulting a young woman at an office building in Center City.
Police say Willie L. Harris, 49, is accused of sexually assaulting a woman on Tuesday afternoon in an office building on the 200 block of South 13th Street.
Investigators believe the suspect went to the 8th floor of the building and entered an unlocked office just after 2 p.m.
The 22-year-old victim was alone in the office because her co-worker stepped out to get lunch, according to police.
Investigators say the suspect demanded the victim stay seated as he rummaged through the office. She offered him AirPods and other items to try to get him to leave, according to police.
The suspect then became angry and beat the woman before sexually assaulting her, police said.
"He is a violent sexual predator, make no doubt about it," said James Kearney, captain of the Philadelphia Police Special Victims Unit.
Police say the suspect fled when the woman's co-worker walked back into the office, interrupting the assault. That co-worker reportedly saw the suspect outside the building prior to the incident.
The suspect was seen running towards 13th and Spring streets before he was lost on surveillance video. He was seen again on 12th and Spring streets about 20 minutes later.
Authorities say Harris's current address is unknown, but he has ties to Camden and Woodbury, New Jersey, as well as Center City, Philadelphia. He also has several aliases, according to police, such as William Banks, Wil Harris, Billy Smith, Reese Smith, Willie Smith and Maurice Harris.
The Washington Township Police Department in Gloucester County said that Harris was seen Wednesday at the McDonald's on Delsea Drive and the Xpress Mart on Egg Harbor Road.
Sources tell FOX 29's Steve Keeley that Harris was taken into custody in Gloucester County, New Jersey.
Sources also say Harris has more than 30 prior arrests and he was spotted in the same clothes he was wearing during the sexual assault.